White House Correspondents’ Dinner gets new date in wake of shooting incident

The White House Correspondents’ Association will hold another dinner on July 24, three months after its annual gala was postponed due to a shooting incident at the venue.

The black-tie gathering of journalists and government officials was halted on April 25 when a gunman stormed a security checkpoint just outside the ballroom where guests including US President Donald Trump and members of his cabinet were sitting.

The statement did not provide further details about the nature of the event, including whether Trump would attend. Jiang said it would feature “significantly enhanced safety measures and new access procedures”, which will be shared directly with attendees.

The dinner “will be a more intimate gathering” and those who bought tickets for the April dinner “will not have to pay if they attend the second event”, the statement said.

Trump, US Vice-President J.D. Vance and other top government officials were whisked away from their seats at the Washington Hilton after an armed man breached the security perimeter before being taken down by Secret Service.