More than 250 journalists, including Dan Rather and Sam Donaldson, have signed an open letter demanding that the White House Correspondents’ Association turn this Saturday’s dinner into a stage for a direct, “forceful” confrontation with President Donald Trump.
The letter, sent to the WHCA on Monday, calls on the organization to use the podium at the 2026 White House Correspondents’ Dinner to deliver a “forceful defense of freedom of the press and condemnation of those who threaten that freedom, followed by a standing toast to the First Amendment.”
“Speak forcefully, in front of the man who seeks to undermine our country’s long tradition of an independent, strong, and free press,” the letter says.
The letter reads in part:
We understand that some journalists plan to wear pocket handkerchiefs or lapel pins with the words of the First Amendment. And continuing in that spirit, we believe the White House Correspondents Association should take stronger action by issuing – from the podium – a forceful defense of freedom of the press and condemnation of those who threaten that freedom, followed by a standing toast to the First Amendment and a pledge to continue upholding such a critical cornerstone of our democracy. Speak forcefully, in front of the man who seeks to undermine our country’s long tradition of an independent, strong, and free press.
We also urge the WHCA to reaffirm, without equivocation, that freedom of the press is not a partisan issue and that the Association will not normalize this behavior but instead fight back against any officeholder who has waged systematic war against the journalists whose work the dinner celebrates.
The signatories include journalism groups such as the Society of Professional Journalists, the Coalition for Women in Journalism, the National Association of Black Journalists, and the Freedom of the Press Foundation, along with dozens of individual reporters.
The letter accuses President Trump of attacking the press through defamation lawsuits against media outlets, showing favoritism toward conservative voices, actions by FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, and his decision to pardon January 6 Capitol rioters, which they claim sends the message that “attacks on the press will be forgiven.”
Former CBS anchor Dan Rather explicitly urged the Beltway press corps to “forcefully demonstrate opposition” to the president at the event.
Many journalists attending the black-tie event also plan subtler acts of protest, like wearing lapel pins or pocket handkerchiefs emblazoned with the text of the First Amendment.
President Trump is scheduled to attend the dinner. He previously boycotted the event, citing unfair treatment by the press.
In a recent Truth Social post, Trump said he is now looking forward to it and hopes it will be “something very special.”
This letter comes during a time of record-low trust in the media.
Gallup polling last year found that only 28% of Americans have a great or fair amount of trust in mass media, with even lower numbers among Republican voters.
The White House Correspondents’ Dinner is supposed to celebrate the First Amendment and journalism, yet here is a large group of so-called “objective” reporters openly plotting political theater against a sitting president they despise.
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