Donald Trump is skipping the “Nerd Prom”.

Saturday evening, President Trump tweeted from his personal account that he would not be attending this year’s White House Correspondent’s Dinner.

I will not be attending the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner this year. Please wish everyone well and have a great evening!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 25, 2017

The annual gala planned for April 29th, has become the topic of Washington DC chatter over the last few weeks as the acrimony between Donald Trump and the National Press was a focal point of his candidacy. The continued feud over “Fake News” since his inauguration have only heightened the tension.

In response to Trump’s tweet the President of the White House Correspondent’s Association, Jeff Mason released a statement on their website.
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 recognizing the promising students who represent the next generation of our profession.

While the original intention of the White House Correspondent’s dinner may have been to celebrate a Free Press, in recent years it became a tribute to Barack Obama by his adoring fans. Last year comedian, Larry Wilmore infamously ended his routine by saying to the President, “You did it , My N**ga”. It’s been reported that Donald Trump was inspired to run for President during his attendance of the 2011 event, after a joke was made as his expense by Obama.

The event is supposed to feature a roast of the sitting President, however this year that seems a little unnecessary. The relationship between the two is openly hostile. Bloomberg has cancelled their annual pre-gala party hosted with Vanity Fair. The New Yorker has also announced they won’t be holding a pre-party event this year. No word yet, if Donald Trump’s decision will cause them to change their minds.

Trump joins Richard Nixon, Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan in choosing not to attend the formal dinner.