Trump campaign announces Wisconsin rally on night of correspondents’ dinner
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Trump campaign on Tuesday announced a ‘Make America Great Again’ rally in Wisconsin for April 27—the same night as the annual White House Correspondents’ Association dinner.
The rally, which will be the Trump campaign’s eighteenth in Wisconsin since June 15, will be held in Green Bay for the third time.
“President Trump looks forward to sharing the successes of his administration with the great people of Wisconsin,” Michael Glassner, chief operating officer of Donald J. Trump for President Inc., said in a statement.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“Under President Trump’s leadership, paychecks are now growing twice as fast for those in the bottom half of the income spectrum. Unemployment has hit generational lows, and the U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade agreement will open Canadian dairy markets to farmers all across Wisconsin,” he added.
Presidents traditionally attend the dinner, but Trump signaled earlier this month that, for the third time since taking office, he would not attend the event.
“The dinner is so boring and so negative that we’re going to hold a very positive rally instead,” Trump said.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Following Trump’s comments, the White House Correspondents’ Association president, Olivier Knox, said that the organization is “looking forward to an enjoyable evening of celebrating the First Amendment and great journalists past, present, and future.”
While the president confirmed he would not attend the 2019 dinner, last fall he signaled that he would consider appearing at this year’s event after the organization adjusted their plans and invited Pulitzer Prize-winning author Ron Chernow to speak instead of a comedian.
"So-called comedian Michelle Wolf bombed so badly last year at the White House Correspondents' Dinner that this year, for the first time in decades, they will have an author instead of a comedian. Good first step in comeback of a dying evening and tradition! Maybe I will go?" Trump tweeted in November.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Last year, Wolf drew backlash from the White House after she spoke critically of the administration and Press Secretary Sarah Sanders, who attended the event as a representative of the Trump administration.
Fox News' Elizabeth Zwirz and The Associated Press contributed to this report.