Our terribly thin-skinned temper tyrant has declared he will not attend the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner. The tweet was uncharacteristically restrained, I suspect a staffer tweeted while Trump was raging a tantrum in the hallowed halls. Perhaps Alec Baldwin can host, or our former President, who recognizes fun when he sees it, and who owned his performance:

Yes, please do! I don’t think Mr. Obama dare do that though, people would most likely not let him go.

No U.S. President has missed the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner since 1981. But one day after major news outlets were banned from a briefing with Press Secretary Sean Spicer, President Donald Trump announced that he’s breaking the 36-year streak.

The dinner, which dates back to 1921, is a time for the president and press to exchange jokes about one another, while reaffirming the important role that news outlets play in a democracy. On Saturday afternoon, Trump tweeted that he’s skipping the annual event.

[…]

Just one day before Trump’s announcement, Press Secretary Sean Spicer prohibited CNN, the New York Times, BuzzFeed, and Politico from attending his daily briefing. He reportedly handpicked the news outlets allowed to attend, including well-known conservative organizations like Fox News, Breitbart, and the Washington Times. The Associated Press and Time decided to boycott in solidarity with the banned reporters.

The outright suppression of the press followed weeks of Trump claiming reputable news organizations report “fake news.” Earlier this month, he tweeted that news media is the “enemy of the American People” — similar to the type of propaganda used to discredit the press in Nazi Germany.

[…]

Trump’s attacks on the media have coincided with damning reports about members of his administration colluding with Russian officials. His decision to skip the annual dinner is just the latest symbol of Trump’s authoritarian leanings.

Full story at Think Progress.