Donald Trump to campaign in Wisconsin night of the White House Correspondents Association Dinner

Tuesday 16 April, 2019

WASHINGTON – While members of the media are celebrating the First Amendment at a swanky dinner, President Donald Trump will be campaigning in Wisconsin.

Trump’s re-election campaign announced Tuesday the president will attend a rally in Green Bay, Wisconsin, on April 27, the same night as the White House Correspondents Association's annual dinner in Washington.

Trump also took to Twitter to spread word of the rally, predicting: "Big crowd expected!"

Trump, who has feuded with the media, said earlier this month that he would once again skip the correspondents' dinner, which he said is “too negative.”

“I like positive things,” he said.

Trump has stayed away from the black-tie dinner every year during his presidency, although he did attend before he was elected.

Last year’s dinner sparked controversy when comedian Michelle Wolf gave a barbed monologue that included attacks on White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders.

There will be no comedian this year; instead, the Correspondents Association invited presidential historian Ron Chernow to speak.

I will be in Green Bay, Wisconsin on Saturday, April 27th at the Resch Center — 7:00pm (CDT). Big crowd expected! #MAGAhttps://t.co/BPYK8PF0O8
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 16, 2019

Before Trump, the dinner traditionally featured comedians who made fun of the president – and other politicians – and offered presidents the chance to retaliate with comedy routines of their own.

Perhaps most famously, in 2011, President Barack Obama made fun of an audience member who had questioned his U.S. citizenship and was contemplating a campaign against him: Donald J. Trump.

After Tuesday's announcement of the Green Bay rally, Trump's campaign manager, Brad Parscale, went on Twitter and took a shot at the correspondents' dinner.

"This will be an EPIC rally in Green Bay Wisconsin on April 27th!" he wrote. "We will broadcast it live so millions can watch @realDonaldTrump instead of the boring WHCD. This dinner is almost worse than Hollywood’s endless self-serving award shows."