The annual White House Correspondents' Association dinner will be held on July 24, the organization said on Tuesday, nearly three months after it was postponed following a potential assassination attempt against US President Donald Trump.
In a letter to members on Tuesday, WHCA president Weijia Jiang made the announcement. "The White House Correspondents' Dinner has served as a celebration of a free press and the vital role of journalism in our democracy for over a century," Jiang wrote. "When gunfire interrupted this year's event, it further clarified the WHCA's mission to advocate for the freedoms that are protected in the First Amendment."
She added: "We will not allow anact of violenceto have the last word, especially during a year when we are reflecting on the 250th anniversary of America and everything we stand for."
The annual gathering, held at the Washington Hilton, is a longstanding fixture of Washington's social and political calendar, bringing together journalists, media executives, government officials and other prominent figures.
This year's dinner, which was attended by Trump who skipped it during his first term in office, was brought to an abrupt end after a man opened fire inside the venue. Authorities later charged 31-year-old California teacher Cole Thomas Allen with attempting to assassinate the President and related offences.
Jiang said the decision to reschedule the event had been made after "thoughtful consideration and input" from members. "Rescheduling was not automatic. It was a choice that the WHCA board made after thoughtful consideration and input from our members," she said.
Photo of suspect Cole Tomas Allen released by US President Donald Trump.
The July event will include "significantly enhanced safety measures and new access procedures", according to Jiang, although she did not say whether President Trump would attend. "This dinner will not only be an opportunity to carry out our program. It will be a statement that violence has no place in American life and a free press will not be intimidated into silence," she said. "As you have all demonstrated, courage and community can and should rise above."
Jiang also thanked the US Secret Service, law enforcement officers and hotel staff for their response to the incident. "Our thoughts remain with the officer who was injured and with everyone who experienced that evening," she said.
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