The White House Correspondents’ Association announced Tuesday its annual dinner has been rescheduled to Friday, July 24.
The black-tie gathering was initially scheduled for April 25, but was postponed after would-be assassin Cole Tomas Allen rushed a security checkpoint with a rifle, shooting a Secret Service agent in their bulletproof vest.
In a manifesto, Allen admitted he had wanted to kill President Trump and as many cabinet officials as possible. He is awaiting trial.
“The White House Correspondents’ Dinner has served as a celebration of a free press and the vital role of journalism in our democracy for over a century,” WHCA president Weijia Jiang said in an email to members of the press corps.
“When gunfire interrupted this year’s event, it further clarified the WHCA’s mission to advocate for the freedoms that are protected in the First Amendment. We will not allow an act of violence to have the last word, especially during a year when we are reflecting on the 250th anniversary of America and everything we stand for.”
It was not immediately clear whether Trump would attend the rescheduled dinner.
