President Trump is expected to be in attendance tonight after boycotting the WHCD during his first administration and last year

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President Trump is expected to be at the 2026 White House Correspondents Dinner tonight, making it the first time Trump has attended the event in either of his presidential terms. The annual event, which recognizes the journalists that cover the White House and the President, is being broadcast live on C-SPAN, but if you don’t have cable (or a TV), there are ways to stream the White House Correspondents Dinner (WHCD) online.

At a Glance: Where to Watch White House Correspondents Dinner

C-SPAN is the official broadcasting home of the 2026 White House Correspondents Dinner and their coverage begins at 6 p.m. with the red carpet, followed by the official dinner program beginning at 8 p.m. ET. You can also find live coverage of the event on news channels like Fox Nation.

How to Watch White House Correspondents Dinner Live Online Free

Don’t have cable? You can livestream the White House Correspondents Dinner online through a live TV streamer like DIRECTV. All of DIRECTV’s streaming packages include a live C-SPAN feed so you can use it to watch the WHCD without cable. Get a five-day free trial to DIRECTV here and livestream the White House Correspondents Dinner online for free.

Use your free trial to watch the C-SPAN feed from Washington live online, and get 90+ other TV channels that you can stream from home. Your DIRECTV free trial lets you stream the WHCD on your phone, tablet, computer or smart TV.

DIRECTV plans start at just $39.99/month after your free trial is up (for its “MyNews” package) or you can cancel at any time without being charged.

Though the event has typically been hosted by comedians (who often perform a lighthearted “roast” of the President and other top officials), this year’s White House Correspondents Dinner is being hosted by mentalist Oz Pearlman. President Trump has attacked comedians and TV hosts in recent months, in an attempt to seemingly silence political satire, leading to the “safer” choice of Pearlman as host. That led to Jimmy Kimmel hosting an “alternate” gala on his show Thursday, where the late-night host poked fun at everyone from President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump to Vanilla Ice, Marco Rubio, Mike Tyson, Rob Schneider, Kanye West and Dog, the Bounty Hunter.

In a statement, the president of the White House Correspondents’ Association, Weijia Jiang, defended the choice of Pearlman as host, saying “We look forward to an exciting, fresh, and interactive evening as we celebrate the First Amendment and Washington news coverage together.”

President Trump announced in March that he would accept the invitation to the dinner “in honor of our Nation’s 250th Birthday” after boycotting the event during his first administration and last year. The First Lady is expected to join him in attendance. The sitting president is typically offered a 15-minute speaking slot at the WHCD though it’s not clear if Trump will take the podium tonight.

Trump’s appearance could prove uncomfortable, as a number of outlets that he has criticized are being honored with awards. That includes the AP, CNN and journalists at The Wall Street Journal, the latter of whom are being recognized for a story they did on Trump’s ties to Jeffrey Epstein — a story the President sued the newspaper over days later.