Probably Not Helpful (#trumpstyle)

#trumpswindle | #WhatTheyVotedFor

Frankly, this just won’t help. Meanwhile, The Hill reports on deteriorating relations between White House and press:

Bloomberg L.P., which hosts a high-profile after-party for the dinner, had pulled the plug on the event. Vanity Fair, which usually partners with Bloomberg in throwing the party, announced earlier this month that it would not participate.

The New Yorker, the magazine that hosts a kickoff party before the dinner, cancelled its event earlier this month, while CNN and MSNBC are also reportedly deliberating whether they will pull out of the annual dinner.

Trump’s announcement comes a day after his administration’s latest clash with the media.

The thing is that while President Trump is known to show thin skin and lash out against criticism, there is exactly nothing to be gained by skipping out. White House Correspondents Association president Jeff Mason suggests the dinner will celebrate the First Amendment by “shining a spotlight at the dinner on some of the best political journalism of the past year and recognizing the promising students who represent the next generation of our profession”. In other words, it’s not just the comedian who will roast the president. That the president is not in attendance will not take away the spotlight; the media will most certainly cover its own retort to a hostile White House, and Mr. Trump will not even have the gravity of his presidential personage to influence the show.

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Image note: President Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) ― “I will not be attending the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner this year. Please wish everyone well and have a great evening!” (via Twitter, 25 February 2017)

Greenwood, Max and Jordan Fabian. “Trump: I won’t attend White House correspondents’ dinner”. The Hill. 25 February 2017.

Trump, Donald J. “I will not be attending the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner this year”. Twitter. 25 February 2017.