President Donald Trump will attend the rescheduled White House Correspondents' Association (WHCA) dinner on Friday, nearly three months after the original event was disrupted by an assassination attempt. The dinner, originally scheduled for April 25 at the Washington Hilton, was cut short when Cole Allen, 31, of California, allegedly opened fire inside the hotel. Allen has pleaded not guilty to charges including attempted assassination of the president and assaulting a federal officer. Secret Service officer Victor Gonzales was shot but was protected by his vest and continued responding to the threat.
The rescheduled dinner will take place at the Waldorf Astoria hotel on Pennsylvania Avenue, with enhanced security measures. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt stated that Trump looks forward to finishing what he started before the attack and celebrating free speech alongside media members. The president’s remarks are expected to be more subdued than originally planned, aligning with the somber tone of the event.
The WHCA will present a special award, the President's Award for Exceptional Service, to Gonzales and other staff members during the dinner. The Secret Service has confirmed that its measures worked during the April incident and that preparations are underway for Friday’s event. The original dinner was previewed as a humorous and entertaining speech, but the tone has shifted following the attack.