President Trump has confirmed his attendance at the rescheduled White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA) dinner, now set for July 24. The original event in April was canceled after a gunman opened fire, allegedly attempting to assassinate the president.

In a post on Truth Social, Mr. Trump expressed his approval of the rescheduling, stating, “We cannot allow lunatics to change our way of life or even its scheduling.” He added that he was invited to speak by Weijia Jiang, President of the WHCA, and accepted the invitation.

The rescheduled dinner will be held at the Waldorf Astoria in Washington, a venue Mr. Trump helped build. However, Ms. Jiang has not confirmed this location, stating that a venue will be announced later. She emphasized that the event will feature “enhanced safety measures and access procedures.”

Ms. Jiang highlighted the importance of the dinner in advocating for First Amendment freedoms, especially in light of the 250th anniversary of America. She stated, “This dinner will not only be an opportunity to carry out our program. It will be a statement that violence has no place in American life and a free press will not be intimidated into silence.”

The decision to reschedule was made after careful consideration by the WHCA board. The event will be more intimate, and those who purchased tickets for the April dinner will not have to pay again.

The April dinner marked Mr. Trump’s first attendance as president, having skipped the event during his first term and the first year of his second term. Following the shooting, Mr. Trump urged the WHCA to organize a second event within 30 days.

The shooting suspect, Cole Allen, faces multiple charges, including attempting to assassinate the president. If convicted, he could face life in prison.

Original reporting: WMAL (Washington DC) — read the source article.