USA: White House correspondents return to dinner with Joe Biden keynote speaker

After two years of cancellation due to the Covid-19 pandemic and after four years of being “snubbed” by Donald Trump, this Saturday night (US local time), the White House correspondents’ dinner returns with US President Joe Biden keynote speaker.

This annual traditional event, which was boycotted by tycoon Trump during his presidency, returns this year with comments from comedian Trevor Noah.

More than 20 WHCA festivities are taking place in Washington before and after the central event on Saturday night, and many senior government officials will attend as well as a number of entertainment celebrities.

However, the recent increase in the number of Covid-19 cases in the US capital, and in particular an outbreak at the annual dinner of the Gridiron Club of Washington’s political and media elite in early April, is leading to precautionary measures at today’s dinner.

Organizers require each participant to be tested for the virus, and some top officials, including infectious disease specialist Dr. Anthony Fauci, will not attend.

The White House said Biden would take extra precautions at the event – and only attend the speakers’ program, White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said Wednesday. He can choose to wear a mask when he is not talking.

In recent weeks, the US president has appeared several times without wearing a mask at numerous White House events, but these events were less attended than today’s Saturday dinner, which is expected to be attended by about 2,600 journalists, Washington officials and prominent .

The White House Correspondents Association was founded in 1914 and has hosted a dinner almost every year since 1921 for journalists covering the US presidency, and the association raises money for scholarships.

Source: Capital

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