Donald Trump refuses to attend White House Correspondents' Association Dinner

President will be first to avoid the event since Ronald Reagan - who was recovering from an assassination attempt

Mr Trump has made numerous attacks on the media (Getty Images)

President Donald Trump has announced he will not be going to the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner.

The declaration was made on Twitter.

The President has taken an aggressive stance towards the media, calling them “the enemy of the people” and decrying accurate coverage as “fake news”.

Now, he will not attend the annual White House party on 29 April, which some media organisations were considering boycotting because of Mr Trump’s attacks on the media.

The last President not to attend the dinner was Ronald Reagan, in 1981, when he was at Camp David recovering from an attempt on his life.

The White House Correspondents Association (WHCA) released a statement in response to the President’s remarks.

Jeff Mason, WHCA president said: “The White House Correspondents Association looks forward to having its annual dinner on April 29.

“The WHCA takes note of President Donald Trump’s announcement on Twitter that he does not plan to attend the dinner, which has been and will continue to be a celebration of the First Amendment and the important role played by an independent news media in a healthy republic.

“We look forward to shining a spotlight at the dinner on some of the best political journalism of the past year and recognising the promising students who represent the next generation of our profession.”

Earlier this week, the White House banned a number of news organisations from a press briefing, causing uproar among press freedom advocates.