President Donald Trump will attend the White House Correspondents‘ Dinner on Saturday, marking his first appearance at the annual event as commander in chief after skipping it throughout his first term.

The decision puts Trump back at a Washington ritual long tied to his fraught relationship with the press and political establishment. His return also revives memories of the 2011 dinner, when then-President Barack Obama and comedian Seth Meyers mocked him from the dais at a moment that later became a widely discussed part of Trump’s political story.

“Donald Trump is here tonight,” Obama said at the 2011 dinner. “Now, I know he’s taken some flak lately, but no one is happier, no one is prouder to put this birth certificate matter to rest than The Donald.”

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“And that’s because he can finally get back to focusing on the issues that matter — like, did we fake the moon landing? What really happened in Roswell? And where are Biggie and Tupac?” he continued. Trump had publicly called for the release of Obama’s birth certificate, which the State of Hawaii did release that year. 

The exchange underscored longstanding tensions between Trump and the Washington establishment that predated his entry into politics. 

Speculation mounted that the jabs helped fuel Trump’s eventual decision to launch a presidential run, culminating in a stunning upset victory in 2016. Trump had denied that Obama’s 2011 jokes prompted his candidacy, telling The Washington Post in 2016 that “there are many reasons I’m running, but that’s not one of them.” 

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“Donald Trump has been saying that he will run for president as a Republican, which is surprising since I just assumed he’d be running as a joke,” comedian Seth Meyers added when he took the podium that night.

Trump told Fox News’ “The Five” earlier this year he was treated “rudely and crudely” during the dinner, which he said influenced his decision not to attend while he was first in office.

“The press was so nasty, I just – so I didn’t do it,” said Trump.

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He once again denied it was the 2011 dinner that sparked his interest in running for office.

“There is this theory: I was there while Barack Hussein Obama was speaking, and he was hitting me a little bit. Actually, it was very nice, and I was actually – I loved it. I really loved it,” said Trump.

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Trump announced he would attend this year’s dinner as part of America’s 250th birthday celebration. The first lady will join him.

“The White House Correspondents Association very nicely asked the President to join them at their annual dinner this year as the Honoree, which he gladly accepted,” White House spokesman Davis Ingle previously told Fox News Digital.

Trump did not attend during his first term due to a contentious relationship with the media at the height of coverage of the Russia investigation.

The banquet was paused during the COVID-19 pandemic and revived in 2022 during President Biden’s administration. Trump also did not attend last year.

A Pennsylvania mother who was previously convicted of accidentally killing her infant son while she was high was arrested again for allegedly endangering another child.

Pennsylvania prosecutors charged 32-year-old Arissa Ward with felony child endangerment and misdemeanor recklessly endangering another person after a 2-year-old she was supposed to be babysitting was found wandering in the middle of the road with no shoes or socks on, a spokesperson for Pennsylvania State Police told Fox News Digital.

At approximately 8:00 a.m. Tuesday, the Pennsylvania State Police, Troop J, York Station was advised a young child was found in the middle of the road on W Main St. in Windsor Borough, York County,” the spokesperson told Fox News Digital.

“Investigation determined, the young child’s baby sitter, Arissa Ward, had fallen asleep and the child had gotten out of the house. The child was located in the middle of the road by a passerby who contacted PSP. The child was found with no shoes on,” the spokesman concluded.

According to a probable cause affidavit obtained by Law & Crime, the boy “was cold to the touch due to the temperature.”

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The boy’s mother dropped him off to Ward around 6:30 a.m. the morning of the incident.

The woman “stated the front door was unlocked, which is not common,” according to the affidavit. “She walked in the residence and took [the boy] upstairs to Ward’s bedroom, which the door was open. [The mother] stated Ward was asleep and she had to wake her up,” the affidavit continued.

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The mother then placed her son in the bed with Ward, after which Ward immediately fell asleep and had to be woken up again, Law & Crime reported, citing court documents. She told law enforcement that she did not close the bedroom door behind her, but did close the front door when she left.

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Ward texted the mother shortly after 9 a.m.

“Good morning babe!! Whatcha doin. B—- where is you,” Ward texted.

“Hey girl!!! im at work lol. i was a little late today hope i dont get into trouble lol,” the mom replied.

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About 30 minutes later, Ward texted “Where’s [the boy]???” according to Law & Crime.

The boy’s mother then started calling Ward, but got her voicemail all five times she called, according to court documents. Police called the mom at 10 a.m. letting her know they had her son.

When police knocked on Ward’s door, she allegedly answered it saying “I’m babysitting and I just woke up. What is going on?” The cops asked if she was “missing a kid,” and she replied, “Yes, yes, but he is not mine,” the affidavit said, according to Law & Crime.

“[The boy’s mom] dropped him off with me this morning,” she allegedly continued. “He’s a little boy, he’s 2… with blonde curly hair.”

When troopers found the boy, they contacted Children and Youth Services, according to Law & Crime. The group told them to “check Arissa Ward.” Ward had previously spent two days in jail after suffocating her 2-month-old son while drunk and high.

In December 2016, after a night of drinking with her partner, Ward fell asleep on the couch next to her baby. The child died of asphyxiation and had marijuana in his system.

Pleading no-contest to a manslaughter charge, Ward was supposed to receive a three-month minimum sentence. However, Judge William T. Tully instead sentenced her to only two days and then house arrest, citing her living daughter, who was 3 years old at the time, according to Penn Live Patriot News.

“I’m going to give you the opportunity to do a little bit of penance. This will be a chance to prove yourself,” Tully told Ward. “You have got to put yourself back together. Your daughter doesn’t need a semi-mom. She needs a whole mom.”

Ward posted bail for the recent child endangerment case and is due back at court on May 5, Law & Crime reported.

Fox News Digital reached out to Windsor Police Department and York County Court for comment but did not immediately receive a response.

Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., is calling for a pardon for a U.S. Special Forces soldier facing decades in prison after being accused of betting on his own mission, saying it is a double standard for a decorated service member to face prison while lawmakers receive a “slap on the wrist” for similar conduct.

Luna called for the pardon on “The Ingraham Angle” Friday, arguing the possible sentence is not “true justice” as she claims insider trading regularly occurs among members of Congress.

“This man is facing decades in prison,” Luna said. “Meanwhile, every single day on Capitol Hill, there are many members of Congress on both sides that are currently engaging in insider trading.”

Master Sgt. Gannon Ken Van Dyke helped plan the capture of former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. Federal authorities later said that, before the mission, Van Dyke placed a bet on a prediction market platform that Maduro would be removed, and he won more than $400,000 as a result.

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President Donald Trump weighed in Friday, comparing the case to baseball legend Pete Rose, who was banned from Major League Baseball.

“That’s a little like Pete Rose,” Trump said when asked about the case. “Pete Rose, they kept him out of the Hall of Fame for betting on his own team. Now, if he bet against his team, that would be no good, but he bet on his own team. I’ll look into it.”

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The Florida congresswoman said her effort to bring forth bipartisan legislation to ban insider trading by lawmakers was blocked by leadership.

She said it would not be right for a service member to face years in prison for doing something lawmakers get away with.

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“Is it fair for him to be facing decades while Nancy Pelosi walks free? It’s not,” Luna said.

Pelosi has denied insider trading allegations. In an interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper last year, she said, “I very much support the stop, the trading of members of Congress. Not that I think anybody’s doing anything wrong. If they are, they are prosecuted and they go to jail.”

Van Dyke was charged with wire fraud, making an unlawful monetary transaction and violating the Commodity Exchange Act. The bets were made between December 2025 and January 2026, with the last placed just hours before the operation began.

Luna said she does not support Van Dyke’s actions but believes he is being held to a higher standard than lawmakers.

“I don’t agree with what he did. However, I don’t think that this is true justice,” Luna added.