Why Wasn't Donald Trump at the White House Correspondents' Dinner?

He made other plans.

Donald Trump holds his arms open and shrugs.
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Donald Trump was noticeably absent from last night's White House Correspondents' Dinner, a fact that the host, Hasan Minhaj, joked about constantly. So why did Trump miss the White House Correspondents' Dinner?

This is the first time in 36 years a President hasn't attended the event. According to The New Yorker, the last time this happened was in 1981, when Ronald Reagan "had been shot just a few weeks earlier, and was recuperating at Camp David. But he still managed to speak at the ceremony via telephone." So did Trump have an important reason for not being there?

As has been well documented, Trump was at a rally in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, to celebrate the first 100 days of his presidency. He used the rally to insult the media and, according to Variety, he told the crowd, "I could not be more thrilled to be more than 100 miles away … with a much larger crowd and much, much better people."

The New Yorker speculated that Trump's "refusal to appear may also be a matter of personal vanity." His decision to miss this year's White House Correspondents' Dinner might be out of character for a President, but that's why it's completely in character for Trump.

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Amy Mackelden
Editor

Amy Mackelden is a freelance writer, editor, and disability activist. Her bylines include Harper's BAZAAR, Nicki Swift, Cosmopolitan, Marie Claire, ELLE, The Independent, Bustle, Healthline, and HelloGiggles. She co-edited The Emma Press Anthology of Illness, and previously spent all of her money on Kylie Cosmetics.