Donald Trump is expected to use his appearance at the White House Correspondents' Dinner in Washington on Saturday to deliver a sharply worded 'revenge' speech against the press and then leave the event early, according to a report citing people familiar with his plans.
The news came after weeks of increasingly hostile posts from Trump on his social media platform, in which he has accused mainstream outlets of distorting coverage of his administration and, in particular,his handling of the war with Iran. The annual White House Correspondents' Dinner, held at the Washington Hilton, traditionally blends political comedy, media self-congratulation and a presidential speech, but Trump's relationship with the press has rarely fit that light-hearted script.
The president is planning a rage-fueled moment at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner.https://t.co/DWjEMTSXgY
According toThe Daily Beast,which first reported the alleged plan, Donald Trump intends to confront what he views as hostile media directly from the ballroom podium. The president is preparing a scripted broadside aimed at specific publications he believes have written unfairly about his administration and his management of the Iran conflict.
'Donald Trump will launch a 'revenge' attack on the White House media when he confronts them in person at a Washington dinner on Saturday night then flee before there can be revenge.' That description suggests less a light celebrity roast than a televised score-settling exercise. It also aligns neatly with his recent messaging online, where he has accused the media of effectively 'rigging' public perceptions of the Iran war by painting it as more chaotic and costly than he claims it to be.
⛔️BREAKING: Trump plans cowardly “revenge” attack on the media at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, and then to flee before they can hit back!⛔️According to sources, Donald Trump is preparing to use his speech at Saturday night’s dinner to lash out at news outlets he…pic.twitter.com/JILE3K2aot
TheDaily Beastreport did not include an on-the-record response from the White House or from Trump campaign officials. There has also been no official schedule detailing when the president plans to depart the ballroom, and nothing in the story has been independently confirmed by other outlets.
If the speech is indeed designed as a combative set piece, what reportedly follows is less theatrical and more tactical. After delivering his remarks, Donald Trump is said to be planning a swift exit from the Washington Hilton, skipping the remainder of the programme, including the presentation of press awards.
The DailyBeastreportframes that decision as less about diary pressures and more about self-preservation. One of the evening's journalism prizes, the Katharine Graham award, is due to gotoTheWall Street Journalfor a story that cut uncomfortably close to Trump's past association with Jeffrey Epstein, the deceased financier and accused child trafficker.
A judge dismissed Donald Trump’s defamation lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal over an article describing a birthday card to Jeffrey Epstein.https://t.co/CHrOt4m1wNpic.twitter.com/AU70MpVK57
Source: International Business Times UK
