April 29, 2017
The annual gala dinner of the White House Correspondents' Association is taking place on Saturday night without its traditional star.
President Donald Trump has decided to skip the event — where he'd be a prime target of biting humor. Instead, he's planning to be in Pennsylvania for a rally.
In recent years, lots of celebrities have attended the dinner as guests of media outlets. That's not the case this year, and the gathering is focusing on the First Amendment and the crucial role of the press in democracy.
There will be an entertainer as master of ceremonies: Hasan Minhaj of "The Daily Show."
The last president to decline an invitation to the dinner was Ronald Reagan in 1981 — when he was recovering from an assassination attempt.
Interested in tuning in? The event, which starts at 9:30 p.m., will be live streamed on C-SPAN and on YouTube.
