Leavitt Will Skip WHCA Dinner as White House Clashes with Press Corps

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt will not attend the annual White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA) dinner, citing the group’s control over White House reporting. Her decision follows months of tension between the Trump administration and the WHCA over press access.

Key Facts:

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt announced she will not attend the WHCA dinner on April 26.
She criticized the WHCA as a “monetized monopoly” over White House press coverage.
The WHCA, formed in 1914, has traditionally controlled the rotation of White House pool reporters.
The Trump administration recently changed the system to include more independent and new media voices.
President Trump skipped the WHCA dinner throughout his first term and is expected to do so again.

The Rest of The Story:

The White House Correspondents’ Association, founded over a century ago, has long managed which journalists get access to the president.

Under the Biden administration, mainstream outlets such as The Associated Press, Bloomberg, and Reuters had consistent representation.

However, the Trump administration recently restructured press access, reducing the dominance of legacy media and introducing alternative voices.

Leavitt has repeatedly clashed with the WHCA, accusing it of resisting these changes.

In March, the White House began selecting some pool reporters directly, a move WHCA board president Eugene Daniel condemned as a threat to press independence.

Despite the backlash, Leavitt has defended the policy as a necessary step toward media diversity.

The annual WHCA dinner, a lavish event attended by journalists, celebrities, and political figures, has often been a forum for public roasting.

Trump, who famously clashed with the press, last attended in 2011, when then-President Barack Obama mocked him.

This year’s event will feature comedian Amber Ruffin, who has openly criticized Trump.

BREAKING: @PressSec Karoline Leavitt will NOT be attending the White House Correspondents' Dinner@whca pic.twitter.com/X98TzqGd0H

— The Sean Spicer Show (@seanspicershow) March 14, 2025

Commentary:

The WHCA dinner has long been an insider affair, where journalists and political elites mingle, often at the expense of the very people they claim to inform.

In recent years, it has become a platform for media figures to celebrate themselves while reinforcing their own biases.

The event has featured comedians who mock Republicans, while the press corps continues pushing narratives that often favor the left.

Leavitt’s decision to skip the dinner makes perfect sense.

Why should she attend an event hosted by an organization that has fought against allowing new voices in the White House press pool?

The WHCA’s outrage over the Trump administration’s media policy is less about press freedom and more about losing control over access.

Trump wisely avoided the event throughout his first term, and given the hostility from many in the press, it’s no surprise he’s expected to skip again.

The administration’s decision to diversify the press pool is a challenge to the WHCA’s longstanding monopoly.

By refusing to participate in their annual spectacle, Leavitt and the White House are reinforcing their commitment to breaking up the old guard’s influence.

The WHCA claims to stand for journalistic integrity, yet they resist change when it threatens their dominance.

Their selective outrage over Trump’s absence at the dinner is just another example of how they prioritize their own prestige over genuine media fairness.

The Bottom Line:

Leavitt’s decision to skip the WHCA dinner highlights the growing divide between the Trump administration and the legacy media.

The WHCA’s pushback against White House press reforms suggests they are more interested in preserving their power than embracing true media diversity.

If the press corps wants to regain credibility, it should focus on honest reporting rather than lavish parties and political attacks.