Trump to attend first White House Correspondents’ Dinner as president amid ongoing feud with press: Live updates

President Donald Trump will head to the Washington Hilton hotel this evening for the annual White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner, his first time at the glitzy gala as president.

The Republican broke longstanding norms by skipping the event multiple times in his previous years as president.

Trump suffered a memorable roasting by then-President Barack Obama at the dinner in 2011, and this year’s iteration won’t feature a comedian as MC, as has been typical in past years. Instead, mentalist Oz Pearlman will host the event. Arrivals to the dinner are scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. Eastern time.

Trump’s return to the Correspondents’ Dinner comes as his administration continues to lock horns with the press.

Earlier this week, FBI Director Kash Patel filed a $250 million defamation lawsuit against The Atlantic over a bombshell exposé alleging he drinks excessively and has performed erratically in the job, claims he strongly denies.

The president, meanwhile, frequently demonizes the Washington press, and his Department of Defense attempted to kick the traditional press corps out of the Pentagon.

Recommended

• Why is Trump coming to the White House Correspondents’ Dinner? Because he needs us
• A history of the White House correspondents’ dinner: From cringeworthy jokes to presidential fury
• Trump’s correspondents’ dinner appearance sparks boycotts and petition: ‘You’re having dinner with him?’
• Journalists urge White House reporters to band together and confront Trump at Correspondents’ dinner

One of the most important names at the Correspondents' Dinner won't be onstage

Unsurprisingly, Donald Trump’s return to the Correspondents’ Dinner is what’s grabbing the headlines.

But the reported guest list for the event contains some other notable names.

Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr will be in attendance.

Carr, one of the nation’s top media regulators, previously made headlines for his role in last year’s Jimmy Kimmel saga.

The regulator threatened that the FCC would crack down on the late-night host’s show after Kimmel made comments about the Charlie Kirk shooting that angered conservatives.

Kimmel’s temporary suspension by ABC after Carr’s comment was seen by some observers as a grim sign for media freedom.

Carr, speaking to The Guardian on Saturday, confirmed he would be in attendance, though he denied prior reports that he had been invited as a guest of CBS News, which was recently taken over by the Trump-allied Ellison family.

“I think it’s important for the country that we have a news media that is trusted and respected,” Carr told the outlet. “My hope for the industry is that they find a way to turn things around.”

Rachel Dobkin looked into Carr earlier this year.

Trump FCC chair urges networks broadcast ‘patriotic, pro-America’ content

Brendan Carr suggested networks start each broadcast with the Pledge of Allegiance Josh Marcus25 April 2026 17:50

No laughing matter: Trump calls off Kushner's trip for Iran war negotiations

The president may be in for a lighthearted evening of mind tricks and speeches at today’s Correspondents’ Dinner, but he still has plenty of serious issues on his plate, namely the Iran war.

President Trump just told Fox News he has canceled a planned trip in which his Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and the president’s son-in-law Jared Kushner were set to head to Pakistan for Iran war negotiations.

"I've told my people a little while ago they were getting ready to leave, and I said, 'Nope, you're not making an 18 hour flight to go there,’” he told Fox’s Aishah Hasnie. “‘We have all the cards. They can call us anytime they want, but you're not going to be making any more 18 hour flights to sit around talking about nothing'."

Josh Marcus25 April 2026 17:22

Ahead of WHCD, Trump schmoozes with Paramount execs seeking merger approval

As the Washington media headed into Correspondents’ Dinner weekend, the president got the party started early.

Paramount Skydance executives reportedly hosted President Donald Trump and other top administration officials for a private dinner in the nation’s capital on Thursday — as the corporation awaits federal approval on a deal to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery.

Trump spoke to guests for almost an hour, as business titans and federal brass mingled at mixed tables inside the U.S. Institute of Peace, The New York Times reported, citing people informed of the exclusive gathering.

Among those in attendance were: Paramount CEO David Ellison, CBS News Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Deputy White House Chief of Staff Stephen Miller and Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche.

The antitrust division within Blanche’s Justice Department is set to scrutinize the proposed $111 billion purchase of Warner Bros., which would hand CNN and other outlets to Ellison — who already controls CBS News. Warner Bros. shareholders signed off on the deal earlier this week, but it won’t be finalized until the government approves.

Brendan Rascius has the details.

Paramount hosts private dinner with Trump while awaiting approval to buy CNN: report

Such a summit between federal officials and corporate leaders — on the cusp of a titanic transaction — is considered rareJosh Marcus25 April 2026 16:56

ICYMI: Why is Trump coming to the White House Correspondents’ Dinner?

This is what should be the most fun weekend in Washington: the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.

And of course, all eyes will be on Donald Trump, who is making his first appearance at the dinner as president of the United States. Much has been made over Trump returning for the first time since he last attended, in 2011, when President Barack Obama and host Seth Meyers ruthlessly mocked him–and possibly spurred him to run for president.

There’s also the fact that instead of a comedian, the evening will feature mentalist Oz Pearlman as emcee.

Many are shocked and chagrined that the Washington press corps would insist on dining with a guy who regularly mocks us, whose Federal Communications Commission threatens to stonewall us, and whose White House took over the press pool. And this is to say nothing of barring the Associated Press from covering the White House for refusing to go along with renaming the Gulf of Mexico to “the Gulf of America.”

Read Eric Garcia’s full story.

Why is Trump coming to the White House Correspondents’ Dinner? Because he needs us

And as much as reporters don’t want to admit it, our actions show we need him too, Eric Garcia writesJosh Marcus25 April 2026 16:41

Trump's dramatic return to the White House Correspondents' Dinner

Hello and welcome to The Independent’s live coverage of tonight’s White House Correspondents’ Dinner.

After years of battling with the press, and a string of lawsuits against major outlets whose coverage he does not like, Donald Trump is set to return to the dinner for the first time as president.

He broke presidential tradition by skipping past iterations, and the event was canceled multiple times during the height of the Covid pandemic.

We’ll be following all the biggest lines from the D.C. media’s biggest night. Stay tuned.

Josh Marcus25 April 2026 16:40

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments