WHCA Shrinks Dinner to 680 Guests After April Shooting, Keeping Trump on Program

3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Jul 24

Friday’s rescheduled White House Correspondents’ Dinner will move to the Waldorf Astoria, cut attendance from 2,600 to about 680 and use a single private entrance, WHCA President Weijia Jiang said.
Those changes follow the April 25 armed attack that disrupted the original event at the Washington Hilton and wounded a Secret Service agent, prompting coordination with the Secret Service and a private security firm.
Donald Trump is still expected to attend and speak — his first appearance at the dinner as president — while Melania Trump, JD Vance and Marco Rubio will miss it because of prior commitments.
The WHCA also plans to honor the wounded Secret Service member and Washington Hilton staff, while Jiang cast the dinner as a First Amendment statement during America’s 250th anniversary and a step toward calmer ties with the Trump administration.