The White House staff will not be attending the annual White House Correspondents' Dinner in April, according to the group that puts on the event, Politico reported.
"The WHCA board regrets this decision very much," White House Correspondents' Association President Jeff Mason said in a statement released Tuesday.
"We have worked hard to build a constructive relationship with the Trump White House and believe strongly that this goal is possible even with the natural tension between the press and the administration that is a hallmark of a healthy republic," he said.
The move by staff is one of "solidarity" with President Donald Trump, who announced earlier he would break with longstanding tradition and skip the event, Mason said.
"We made clear in our meeting tonight that President Trump, Vice President Pence, and White House staff continue to be welcome to join us at this dinner," he said.
Trump has had a testy relationship with much of the press going back to his days as a candidate. He called them out during campaign rallies as liars, eliciting boos from supporters.
The dinner, nicknamed the "nerd prom" because of the mix of D.C. journalists, politicians and Hollywood celebrities, typically features a roasting of the president and others by a comedian, which is followed by humorous remarks from the president.
Trump's own decision to seek the Oval Office has been partially credited by President Barack Obama's relentless taunting of him during the 2011 dinner.
Though Trump tweeted in February he will not attend this year, he told Fox News that does not mean he will not attend future dinners.
"That doesn't mean I'm not going to do it next year," he said. "But I just thought it would be better if I didn't do it this year."
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