Trump to deliver ‘unifying yet vicious’ remarks at press dinner months after shooting incident, White House says

Key Points:

• The White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner disrupted by a gunman in April is rescheduled for Friday at a smaller, more secure venue, the Waldorf Astoria in Washington, with President Trump and top officials attending.
• Trump is expected to deliver a speech blending humor and seriousness, possibly addressing the April attack briefly, and including some jokes from the original planned remarks.
• The April event was disrupted when Cole Tomas Allen, armed and attempting to reach the ballroom, was arrested after exchanging gunfire; he faces charges including attempted assassination of the president.
• Secret Service officer Victor Gonzales, wounded during the attack, will be honored at the dinner, which will feature mentalist Oz Pearlman and host about 700 people, significantly fewer than the usual 3,000+ at the Washington Hilton.
• The dinner occurs amid tense White House-media relations, with Trump’s administration frequently criticizing the press and recent DOJ actions against journalists sparking concerns over First Amendment rights, leading to calls from hundreds of journalists to condemn the administration’s attacks on the media.