White House Correspondents' Dinner rescheduled for July 24 following shooting that interrupted annual gala

The White House Correspondents' Association (WHCA) said Tuesday that it rescheduled its annual gala for July 24, nearly three months after a shooting interrupted the original event.

“We will not allow an act of violence to have the last word,” WHCA President Weijia Jiang wrote on US social media company X.

“Our first dinner is part of history, as will be the WHCA’s response," she wrote.

US President Donald Trump said he accepted an invitation to speak at the rescheduled event. He said rescheduling the event is a "sign of strength and fortitude," and that the announcement is a "very good thing" because the nation must not permit "lunatics to change our way of life, or even its scheduling.”

The original April 25 dinner at the Washington Hilton ended abruptly when Secret Service agents evacuated US President Donald Trump, the first lady and Cabinet members after gunshots were fired near a security checkpoint.

Authorities later arrested 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen, who allegedly intended to target several administration officials.

Allen faces four federal counts, including the attempted assassination of the US president.