President Donald Trump cancelled the annual White House holiday party for members of the media, Fox News’ Howard Kurtz reported Thursday.
The White House has not announced or confirmed the cancellation, according to Kurtz and a spokesperson did not immediately return TPM’s request for comment.
Trump and the first lady hosted the party last year, but broke with the decade-old tradition of posing for photos with guests.
The White House is set to host a variety of other holiday parties this year and some media members who are “generally favorable to Trump” have been invited to those events, in Kurtz’s words.
The move is hardly surprising given Trump’s contentious relationship with the press that has only heightened in recent weeks after the White House stripped CNN correspondent Jim Acosta of his press credentials and CNN sued the White House over the ban.
The War on Christmas continues.
A fight broke out during the place card assigning, when no one could agree on how to spell “enemy”
I will say, this is a tradition that could stand to die. Along with the Press Club dinner (though the stand-up has justified it in recent years). I wholly support anything that makes the relationship between the WH and media less cozy.
Good.
The press covering the White House should respect the White House (at least when it’s worthy of respect), but they are not friends and they should not be chummy.
The Walls are closing in, Donnie…