President Donald Trump will skip the White House Correspondents' Dinner on April 26 as his allies continue to float plans for a rival event on the same day, Axios reported.
Trump, who declined to attend any of the White House Correspondents' Dinners held during his first term, continues to clash with the White House Correspondents' Association over his refusal to admit members of the Associated Press into the Oval Office and other pooled events, according to Politico.
Axios also reported that despite strong interest in tickets for the dinner from news organizations, Bloomberg, The New Yorker, and Vanity Fair canceled plans to hold after-parties.
The annual dinner came into the spotlight earlier this month after headlining comedian Amber Ruffin's appearance was canceled about one month before the event "to ensure the focus is not on the politics of division," according to WHCA President Eugene Daniels.
One White House official, who spoke to Politico Playbook on the condition of anonymity, said that staffers are considering holding a rival event on April 26.
"Why be surrounded by people who don't align with us or our voters?" one official said.