President Trump explained to supporters in a campaign fundraising email Tuesday that he decided against attending this weekend’s White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA) dinner because he didn’t want to spend the night with “fake news liberals.”
“My staff asked, ‘Mr. President, the White House Correspondents’ Dinner is coming up. Will you go?’” Trump said in the email from his campaign. “I said, ‘Why would I want to be stuck in a room with a bunch of fake news liberals who hate me?’”
Trump said he “came up with something much better,” referencing a rally in Michigan he will host on Saturday — the same night as the correspondents’ dinner. He then solicited donations from his supporters.
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The president’s campaign announced last week that the rally will take place just outside of Detroit in Washington, Mich., at 7 p.m. It is the second consecutive year that Trump will hold an event outside the nation’s capital instead of attending the annual dinner.
Press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders is expected to attend this year to represent the White House.
The event celebrates members of the WHCA and young journalists for their work, though it increasingly has been seen as a night during which politicians, reporters and editors rub shoulders with stars from the entertainment industry. The New York Times is among the media organizations that no longer attends the event.
Past presidents have attended the event and delivered humorous remarks addressing the press.
Trump has had a combative relationship with the media since he entered the 2016 presidential campaign. He frequently attacks outlets like The New York Times, The Washington Post and CNN, labeling them “fake news,” questioning their sources and deeming their reporting unfair.