President Donald Trump is reportedly canceling the White House holiday party for the press, according to Fox News.
While the White House hasn’t announced it’s erased the press from its holiday party calendar, the event isn’t scheduled, the Washington Post reported.
For decades, journalists covering the White House, as well as television news anchors, commentators, and media executives have received invitations to the party, where there’s an elegant buffet, and a photo op with the president and first lady.
CNN boycotted the event last December due to Trump’s continued attacks on the network and press overall. Instead, the network said it would “send a White House reporting team to the event and report on it if news warrants.” Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders celebrated the news on Twitter. Additionally, the president and First Lady Melania Trump didn’t hold the usual photo op with guests.
The decision to cancel this year’s holiday party is “hardly shocking,” as Fox News said. Trump has repeatedly attacked the press since his 2016 election bid, when he blacklisted various media outlets from attending and reporting on his campaign rallies.
Trump’s chilly relations with the media were also apparent in twice refusing to attend the annual White House Correspondents’ Dinner. Since before he took office, he’s continuously attacked media with which he doesn’t agree as “fake news.”
Although it may drop the media holiday party, Trump’s White House will still host other soirees, to which select media outlets that have been favorable to his administration have received invitations, according to Fox News. Some Fox News hosts have even made the guest lists for those events.
