US President Donald Trump announced that he will not attend the annual White House Correspondents Association dinner, a high-profile event that draws celebrities, politicians and journalists.
I will not be attending the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner this year. Please wish everyone well and have a great evening!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 25, 2017
Mr Trump has had a strained relationship with the press calling some journalists "the enemy of the people" and frequently criticising outlets and individual reporters whose coverage he does not like.
The annual dinner will be held on 29 April in Washington.
Some news outlets such as Bloomberg News and the New Yorker that typically host lavish after-parties have said they are backing out this year.
Yesterday, the White House excluded several major US news organisations, including some it has criticised, from an off-camera briefing held by the White House press secretary.
Reporters for CNN, The New York Times, Politico, The Los Angeles Times and BuzzFeed were not allowed into the session held in the office of press secretary Sean Spicer, a decision that drew strong protests.
WHCA statement on 2017 White House Correspondents' Dinner pic.twitter.com/mMOXaozwHj
— Jeff Mason (@jeffmason1) February 25, 2017
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