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President Donald Trump said on Monday that he was accepting an invitation to appear at this year\u2019s White House Correspondents\u2019 Dinner, adding that his appearance would certainly make the annual event the \u201cGREATEST, HOTTEST\u201d one to date.<\/p>\n
Trump made the announcement via his Truth Social platform, saying that it was nice to finally see members of the usually-combative press acknowledge him as \u201ctruly one of the Greatest Presidents in the History of our Country, the G.O.A.T.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe White House Correspondents Association has asked me, very nicely, to be the Honoree at this year\u2019s Dinner, a long and storied tradition since it began in 1924, under then President Calvin Coolidge,\u201d Trump began, saying that he\u2019d accepted in part because he wanted to be there because 2026 will be the year the United States celebrates its 250th birthday as a nation.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt will be my Honor to accept their invitation, and work to make it the GREATEST, HOTTEST, and MOST SPECTACULAR DINNER, OF ANY KIND, EVER!\u201d he continued.<\/p>\n
Trump went on to explain that he only skipped the event in years past because he had been so unfairly treated by most in the press.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause the Press was extraordinarily bad to me, FAKE NEWS ALL, right from the beginning of my First Term, I boycotted the event, and never went as Honoree,\u201d he said, adding, \u201cHowever, I look forward to being with everyone this year. Hopefully, it will be something very Special. Thank you for your attention to this matter! President DONALD J. TRUMP.\u201d<\/p>\n
Trump boycotted the event for the entirety of his first term as president \u2014 and the first year of his second term \u2014 largely because of his often contentious relationship with most of the legacy press.<\/p>\n
CBS News senior White House correspondent and president of the White House Correspondents Association Weijia Jiang said that she\u2019s glad Trump has agreed to attend the dinner.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor more than 100 years, the journalists of the White House Correspondents\u2019 Association have enjoyed an evening with the president,\u201d she said. \u201cWe\u2019re happy the president has accepted our invitation and look forward to hosting him.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n