Trump addresses White House correspondents' dinner rescheduled after shooting
April event was called off after gunman tried to storm hotel ballroom in Washington
U.S. President Donald Trump addressed the White House Correspondents' Association dinner in Washington, D.C., on Friday, three months after a shooting forced the original event to be called off.
Speaking to a room full of reporters at the Waldorf Astoria hotel, Trump said the rescheduled event was a demonstration of "unwavering resolve" in the face of a "heinous attack."
"As I said three months ago, the show must go on," he said at the dinner, which was held under heightened security after the original event on April 25 was called off when an armed man tried to storm the ballroom.
The suspect, Cole Allen, pleaded not guilty in May to charges including attempting to assassinate the president.
Weijia Jiang, president of the White House Correspondents' Association, thanked people "from around the world, across the political spectrum" for their support after the shooting.
The incident, she added, demonstrated that, "no matter how complicated or tense the relationship is between the press and the presidency, what we share is far more important than anything else, and that is our duty to serve the American people."
She also thanked law enforcement officials for their response.
Criticism from press freedom groups
Trump's speech Friday came as his administration has faced widespread criticism from press freedom advocates over frequent attacks against journalists, as well as lawsuits targeting media organizations.
Earlier this week, the U.S. government withdrew subpoenas seeking to compel reporters at the New York Times to divulge their sources after they reported on security concerns linked to the new Air Force One.
A lawyer for the newspaper had denounced the subpoenas as an attempt "to punish The Times for its coverage."
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The administration defended the move, saying it was not targeting journalists but rather "those leaking classified information."
But criticism of Trump's attacks on the media continues, as the U.S. president has sued multiple outlets, denounced unfavourable coverage as "fake news" and belittled journalists.
His administration has barred The Associated Press news agency from the White House press pool and restricted many journalists' access to the Pentagon, among other measures.
Several hundred veteran journalists, along with eight professional journalism organizations, signed a letter urging the association to use Friday's dinner "to forcefully demonstrate opposition to President Trump's efforts to trample freedom of the press."
"There is a long tradition of presidents attending the White House Correspondents Association Dinner. But these are not normal times, and this cannot be business as usual with the press standing up to applaud the man who attacks them on a daily basis," the letter reads.
WATCH | Gunfire erupted at dinner in April:## Secret Service officer, hotel staff honoured
Friday's event honoured Secret Service officer Victor Gonzales, who was shot at a security checkpoint outside the ballroom in April and is credited with stopping the attack.
"Even after gunfire struck his protective vest, he stayed in the fight and the attacker was stopped," Jiang said.
Washington Hilton hotel staff who assisted guests after the shooting also were recognized.
The gala — an annual fixture on Washington's calendar for more than a century — raises money for journalism scholarships and celebrates U.S. press freedoms.
The April incident occurred during Trump's first presidential appearance at the dinner. He had boycotted the event in his previous years in office.
When it was announced that the dinner would be rescheduled, Trump wrote on social media in early June that it was "a very good thing in that we cannot allow Lunatics to change our way of life, or even its scheduling."
"I don't know whether or not I will give the same rather nasty statements, at least as it concerns certain people, but we will soon find out. In any event, it will be a 'HOT' ticket!" he wrote at the time.
With files from Reuters