U.S. President Donald Trump is set to address the White House Correspondents' Association at its rescheduled annual dinner Friday, nearly three months after a shooting outside the original venue forced the event to be canceled.
The black-tie gathering of journalists, politicians and administration officials was called off April 25 after a man attempted to breach a security checkpoint and fired a shotgun outside the ballroom at the Washington Hilton, where Trump and members of his Cabinet were taking their seats.
The suspect, Cole Allen, pleaded not guilty in May to multiple charges, including attempting to assassinate the president.
The dinner has since been relocated to the Waldorf Astoria and will be held under heightened security.
Secret Service Director Sean Curran said Wednesday that an advance team had put a comprehensive security plan in place to protect attendees and secure the venue.
"We do expect bad people to show up," Curran said. "It's just a reality of where we are, but we're treating it no differently than any other site that the president goes to."
Trump has said the April shooting demonstrated the need for a $400 million ballroom being built at the White House, arguing that holding such events there would improve the president's security.
Friday's dinner will honor Secret Service officer Victor Gonzales, who was shot at a security checkpoint outside the ballroom in April and is credited with helping stop the attack. He was wearing a protective vest and was the only person injured that night. Washington Hilton staff members who assisted guests also will be recognized, the WHCA said.
The gala, an annual fixture on Washington's calendar for more than a century, raises money for journalism scholarships and celebrates the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which protects freedom of speech and the press. Trump is scheduled to deliver remarks, and mentalist Oz Pearlman will provide entertainment.
The April shooting occurred during Trump's first appearance as president at the correspondents' dinner. He had boycotted the event throughout his previous presidency.
Trump has frequently clashed with the news media, suing multiple outlets, denouncing unfavorable coverage as "fake news" and criticizing journalists by name. His administration has barred The Associated Press (AP) from the White House press pool and restricted some journalists' access to the Pentagon, among other measures. Last week, Trump threatened to revoke the licenses of television networks that did not air his prime-time speech on election security, which included claims about foreign election interference that contradicted a U.S. intelligence assessment.
The White House has defended its measures, saying the administration seeks to protect sensitive information, improve security and increase accountability for what it describes as biased media organizations.
Even as Trump has escalated his actions against the media, he has provided reporters with more direct access than recent presidents, taking questions during lengthy public appearances and regularly speaking with journalists by phone.
Several hundred veteran journalists, along with eight professional journalism organizations, have signed a letter urging the WHCA to use the dinner to condemn what they called Trump's attacks on the First Amendment.
WHCA President Weijia Jiang said the event "will be a statement that violence has no place in American life and a free press will not be intimidated into silence."
