Trump May Attend The White House Correspondents' Dinner Next Year

Although he previously called the 100-day evaluation of presidents "ridiculous," it seems that President Trump has done some soul-searching ahead of the traditional checkpoint. Clearly, he has learned a few things about the presidential lifestyle and he has some thoughts on what he'll do in the future. Perhaps most significantly, Trump would attend the White House Correspondents' Dinner next year, after skipping the occasion this year.

Trump's reflections came from a Reuters article published on Thursday. According to the report, Trump said, "I would come next year, absolutely," when asked about the correspondents' dinner. The turnabout came after Trump famously announced back in February that he won't attend this year's event. The annual dinner will take place on Saturday in Washington, D.C., while the president will hold a conflicting event about 100 miles away in Pennsylvania. According to a tweet, the event will be a "BIG rally."

As a break from tradition, the president's decision not to attend the correspondents' dinner came as a surprise. However, Trump's outspoken disdain for the mainstream media seemed to explain his choice to forgo their biggest political event of the year. (It's important to note that, in his announcement, Trump himself did not give an explicit reason for skipping the black-tie affair.)

Regardless of motive, Trump's decision not to attend this year's dinner makes his resounding commitment to attend next year's dinner all the more unexpected. Although he won't be in attendance on Saturday, it will be interesting to see how he responds to the dinner. Even without him in the room, his name is sure to come up during the typically comedic night.

Beyond the White House Correspondents' Dinner, Trump also reflected on the difference between his pre-presidential and presidential lifestyles. "This is more work than in my previous life," he reportedly told Reuters. "I thought it would be easier."

Part of the challenge for Trump seems to be adjusting to the restrictions of his new role. He said that he misses driving and going places without 24-hour Secret Service security:

You’re really into your own little cocoon, because you have such massive protection that you really can’t go anywhere.

The reflections that Trump offered on Thursday seemed to humanize him. Although he'll probably get his fair share of criticism for expecting the POTUS job to be easier, it's oddly relatable to think of pre-president Trump hopping in his car to drive out to lunch whenever he pleased. If he does choose to attend the White House Correspondents' Dinner next year, he certainly won't be driving himself there.