President Donald Trump announced on Saturday he would not attend the annual White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner, an event attended by celebrities, journalists and politicians.
“I will not be attending the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner this year. Please wish everyone well and have a great evening!” tweeted Trump.
The association announced it would go ahead with its April 29 dinner despite Trump's absence.
The dinner "has been and will continue to be a celebration of the First Amendment and the important role played by an independent news media in a healthy republic," said Jeff Mason, a Reuters White House correspondent who heads the association this year.
Trump’s decision not to attend comes amid his continued feud with mainstream media which has continuously portrayed him in a negative manner.
On Friday, the White House raised the ire of several media outlets when it blocked a number of them from covering spokesman Sean Spicer’s question-and-answer session.
Among the outlets not permitted to cover the gaggle were CNN, The New York Times, The Hill, Politico, BuzzFeed, the Daily Mail, BBC, the Los Angeles Times and the New York Daily News.
During the election campaign, research indicated that an overwhelming majority (91%) of mentions of Trump in the mainstream media were in a negative context.
Only 9% of news stories on Trump carried by the mainstream networks were positive towards him.
Last week, Trump vowed to achieve his legislative agenda despite the “lies, misrepresentations and false stories” thrown at him by the media.