President Donald Trump is skipping out on an annual gathering of DC’s most powerful and influential figures in Washington, a White House source told CNN on Firday.
Trump was planning to attend the Alfalfa Club’s annual dinner Saturday night in Washington, but a White House source said a decision was made Thursday not to attend.
Every president since Ronald Reagan has headlined the Alfalfa dinner at least twice during their terms in office, taking the evening to join one of Washington’s most elite social clubs to hobnob with the influencers and tell self-deprecating jokes.
Trump would be the first president since Reagan not to headline the dinner in the same year of his inauguration since President Bill Clinton skipped out on the dinner in 1993 soon after he was sworn into office.
It’s not clear why Trump canceled. His attendance at the annual gathering of DC’s most elite business leaders, powerful politicians and other power brokers may have looked out of step with his campaign promise to “Drain the Swamp.”
Trump pledged during his campaign to “drain” Washington of special interests and vowed in his inauguration address to return the power in Washington to constituents around the country.
But at least a dozen of Trump’s former campaign staffers have opted out of taking jobs in his administration in favor of heading to K Street, home to Washington’s top lobbying firms.