President Donald Trump will attend the White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA) dinner this Saturday, April 25, marking the first time in his political career he will appear at the event as the sitting president. The return ends a nine-year boycott, but the evening will break with decades of tradition: no comedian will be on stage to roast the president back.
The 2026 dinner follows years of tension between the Trump administration and the WHCA. The association opted to hire TV mentalist Oz Pearlman for the evening’s entertainment, a move made after the organization rescinded an offer to comedian Amber Ruffin in 2025 following administration criticism of her past work.
With no professional satirist scheduled to deliver a rebuttal, the 79-year-old president is reportedly preparing a sharp-tongued routine targeting the journalists in the room.
Lara Trump, the president’s daughter-in-law, confirmed on the Citizen McCain podcast that the president is working with a team of writers to ensure a “spectacular” performance.
“I think everyone should get ready because he’s going to do some roasting, and we know that he doesn’t hold anything back,” she said. She characterized the appearance as a “full-circle moment,” referencing the 2011 dinner where then-President Barack Obama and comedian Seth Meyers famously mocked Trump’s political ambitions.
Journalistic historians often cite that 2011 evening as a primary catalyst for Trump’s initial entry into the 2016 race. Since taking office, Trump has labeled the press the “enemy of the people” and became the first president since Ronald Reagan—who was recovering from an assassination attempt—to skip the dinner in 2017.
The WHCA’s decision to pivot away from traditional comedy follows a period of internal volatility. In 2018, a roast by Michelle Wolf drew heavy criticism from the administration, leading to a brief hiatus of comedians in 2019.
President Trump accepted the 2026 invitation via Truth Social on March 2, framing his attendance as a celebration of the nation’s 250th birthday. He claimed the association now acknowledges him as “one of the Greatest Presidents in the History of our Country.”
While the dinner historically raises funds for journalism scholarships and honors the First Amendment, critics argue that the absence of a comedic counter–voice transforms the event into a platform for unchecked executive grievances. The event will take place at the Washington Hilton, with senior administration officials and the First Lady also expected to attend.
