Trump Won't Be Celebrating His 100th Day At The WHCD

The 100th day of a president's term is historically seen as a day to reflect on just how successful he or she has been since taking office. While it can certainly be argued that three months is hardly enough time for a new president to significantly establish a legacy, this arbitrary benchmark has been the impetus for administrations to hit the ground running so there will be lots to discuss when the big day arrives. So how will Trump be spending his 100th day in office? Fittingly, he'll be returning to one of the places that helped him become president in the first place: Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. And that won't involve attending the White House Correspondents' Dinner.

Trump has already made it clear that he doesn't much care for the tradition of assessing a president's accomplishments at the 100-day mark. In fact, in a routine tweet-storm in late April, Trump stated that the 100th Day is a "ridiculous standard," and that any accomplishments he has made will be downplayed by the media.

Given Trump's belief that the media is unfairly painting him in a negative light, it makes sense that Trump would choose to control the messaging of his 100th day. In fact, his 100th day happens to fall on the same day as the White House Correspondents' Dinner, an annual event that traditionally celebrates the relationship between the president and the press. He has declined to attend the dinner, however, and will instead host a rally in Pennsylvania.

The rally will be held in Harrisburg, a city that helped Trump carry the state by narrow margins in the November 2016 election. "Politically speaking, he's coming home to his base" CNN political analyst Jeffrey Lord said.

Trump's 100 Day Plan that was likely supported by those voters included repealing and replacing Obamacare, building a border wall between the United States and Mexico, and "draining the swamp" in Washington. So far, Trump hasn't made any significant progress in any of those areas. The Republican-led effort to replace Obamacare failed in March, the president has yet to secure funding for the border wall, and Trump's cabinet is one of the wealthiest in history.

Trump's Administration denies that the Pennsylvania rally is an effort to avoid questions about these issues from the press. “The media is trying to make this about them when, respectfully, it has nothing to do with you guys,” a White House official said. “It’s about focusing on the people.”

While Trump won't be facing the press at the White House Correspondents' Dinner on Saturday, he will kick off the day with an interview with John Dickerson on CBS's Face The Nation before the Pennsylvania rally later in the evening.