President Donald Trump’s attendance at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner has sparked backlash, including a petition circulated among journalists.
Since returning to office last year, Trump has repeatedly clashed with members of the press, leading some critics to label him “anti-media.”
His interactions with reporters have drawn particular attention after a string of highly personal jabs and insults. Among them: telling a female reporter “quiet piggy” when she asked a question; calling a New York Times reporter “ugly, both inside and out”; and attacking journalist Maggie Haberman as a “sleazebag,” writing on Truth Social: “Maggot Hagerman, just another SLEAZEBAG writer for The Failing New York Times, insists on writing false stories about me, even though she fully knows and understands that the exact opposite of anything she says is usually the truth.”
Last year, Trump also argued that broadcast networks should face penalties over coverage he views as unfair. In a Truth Social post, he wrote: “Why is it that ABC and NBC FAKE NEWS, two of the absolute worst and most biased networks anywhere in the World, aren’t paying Millions of Dollars a year in LICENSE FEES.
“They should lose their Licenses for their unfair coverage of Republicans and/or Conservatives, but at a minimum, they should pay up BIG for having the privilege of using the most valuable airwaves anywhere at anytime!!!”
Those incidents, along with other disputes between the administration and the press, have helped fuel opposition to Trump appearing at the annual dinner.
Discussing the widening rift, Frank Sesno, a journalism professor at George Washington University, told the Guardian: “I think it’s gotten worse.
“They’ve gotten more pointed and personal. They’ve ratcheted up the price tag and the legal actions that they are pursuing. We have an FBI raid of a journalist’s home. These are not just norm-shattering, but breathtakingly bold and dangerous moves. And to go to dinner and pretend these things haven’t happened is unthinkable.”
ABC reporter Lisa Stark, alongside colleague Ian Cameron, has been sharing a petition that was also sent to the White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA). The petition urges journalists and dinner organizers to “forcefully demonstrate opposition to President Trump’s efforts to trample freedom of the press.”
“This is sort of a critical moment for these dinners and it will be interesting to see what happens going forward,” Stark told the Independent.
Criticism has also come from other media figures. NPR ombudsman Kelly McBride wrote: “The only thing more insulting for the press than Trump not coming is Trump coming.”
On Substack, reporter Ron Fournier questioned the idea of breaking bread with the president, writing: “This man mocks you, sues you, and targets you for prosecution… and you’re having dinner with him?”
WHCA chair Weijia Jiang defended the purpose of the gathering in a statement: “The White House Correspondents’ Dinner reinforces the importance of the First Amendment in our democracy.
“As we mark America’s 250th birthday, our choice to gather as journalists, newsmakers and the president in the same room is a reminder of what a free press means to this country and why it must endure. Not for the media or the president, but for the people who depend on it.”
The White House has been contacted for comment.