President Trump is skipping the White House Correspondents’ Dinner at the end of the month.
Trump also sat out of the dinner last year amid tensions with the press.
The White House told the White House Correspondents’ Association that Trump will not attend, but he “will actively encourage members of the executive branch to attend and join.”
White House press secretary Sarah Sanders will represent the administration at the head table, the correspondents association said.
The announcement came moments after Trump said in a radio interview that aired Friday that he would likely skip the dinner.
“I probably won’t do it,” he told radio show “Bernie & Sid in the Morning.”
Trump accused the press of being “so bad” and “so fake,” comparing reporters to novelists who make up sources.
