Peter Baker, chief White House correspondent for The New York Times, has called for the White House Correspondents Association (WHCA) to reconsider its annual dinner. Baker's comments came after President Trump participated in the tradition of roasting journalists and media outlets during the rescheduled event.
During the dinner on Friday, the WHCA presented awards to reporters for stories critical of the Trump administration, including those detailing his past associations. President Trump, who attended the dinner after a boycott of previous events, shook hands with journalists who had produced these critical reports and listened to criticisms of his administration's lawsuits against media organizations. He then delivered his own remarks, a move consistent with past presidents who have used the dinner for lighthearted jabs at the press.
Following the event, Baker posted on X, formerly Twitter, stating that the dinner "did not advance" the mission of defending the First Amendment rights of White House correspondents reporting without fear or favor. He suggested it was "Time to rethink the dinner."
Baker's wife, Susan Glasser, also shared a post seemingly criticizing journalists for not defending the First Amendment. "If journalists won’t stand up for it, hard to ask everyone else to," Glasser wrote.
President Trump's remarks during the dinner included jokes about media outlets going out of business after his presidency and a comment suggesting CNN's Kaitlan Collins appeared transgender. The dinner was a rescheduled event following an April incident where a gunman opened fire, leading to charges against suspect Cole Tomas Allen.
Baker clarified that his stance on the dinner predates the Trump administration, noting that The New York Times had decided not to attend the event nearly 20 years prior, a policy maintained under previous administrations. "Last night validated that decision," Baker stated. He himself had previously received a WHCA award for his coverage of former President Joe Biden's reporting on the Israel-Hamas conflict following the October 7, 2023, attacks.