“It’s unlikely I will do the White House Correspondents dinner this year,” Trump told the hosts, before taking a swipe at the news media: It’s “so bad and so fake.”

White House Correspondent’s Association president Margaret Talev confirmed that the president does not plan to participate in the dinner, noting that White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders will be attending the event.

“The White House has informed us that the president does not plan to participate in this year’s dinner but that he will actively encourage members of the executive branch to attend and join us as we celebrate the First Amendment,” Talev wrote in a statement. “In keeping with tradition, Press Secretary Sarah Sanders also will represent the administration at the head table. The April 28 dinner celebrates award-winning reporting, scholarship winners and the vital role of the First Amendment and the free press in American democracy.”