Overview

• Eugene Daniels declared at the White House Correspondents' Dinner that the press is not the opposition or the enemy of the people, countering President Trump's rhetoric.
• President Trump and Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt declined to attend the dinner, marking Trump's fifth consecutive absence from the event as president.
• The WHCA continues to support the Associated Press's lawsuit against the administration after the AP was barred from events for refusing to use the term 'Gulf of America.'
• The Trump administration's restructured press pool selection process has favored Trump-friendly outlets while reducing access for legacy media organizations.
• Axios journalist Alex Thompson criticized the media for its failure to rigorously report on President Biden's declining health, linking this lapse to growing public distrust.