Donald Trump will attend the White House Correspondents’ Dinner for the first time in years, according to Al Jazeera. This marks a shift from his previous pattern of refusing invitations to the event. Since launching his first presidential campaign, Trump has taken a confrontational stance toward the media, issuing both personal attacks on journalists and lawsuits against news organizations for coverage he deems unfair.

Controversial Tradition and Criticism

The black-tie gala, a decades-old tradition dating back to 1921, remains a divisive event. Critics argue its chummy approach to the presidency risks blurring the independence of the press corps. Trump himself is one of the dinner’s critics. Until this year, he had refused to attend, appearing ready to defy a tradition of sitting presidents dining at least once with the press corps during the annual event. His presence at Saturday’s dinner has only heightened questions about the event’s role in the modern era.

Trump has previously declined five previous invitations to attend, across his first and second terms. His inaugural visit on Saturday has been accompanied by changes to the dinner’s format: most notably, the longstanding practice of having a comedian perform has been nixed. Journalist organizations and rights groups, meanwhile, have called on the event’s host, the White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA), to send a “forthright message” to the president about protecting the freedom of the press.

Vanity and Power in the Press Dinner

The White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner (WHCD) is unique for being the one night when America’s three centers of power—Washington, New York, and Hollywood—converge, according to The Free Press. Every April, just as the cherry blossoms are in bloom, social climbers of every variety descend upon the nation’s capital. Though the ostensible purpose of this annual gathering is to support the institution of America’s free press, anyone who has attended the weeklong bender of brunches, cocktail receptions, and after-parties knows that’s a thin patina of justification for dressing up, going out, and meeting famous people.

As an off-and-on veteran of the fetes surrounding the dinner (which I’ve never attended) for nearly two decades, I have had my fair share of celebrity encounters. Early in my career I was fortunate to befriend the late Christopher Hitchens, who for many years hosted the weekend’s most exclusive event, the Vanity Fair after-party, in his spacious Kalorama apartment. When the bash later migrated to the French ambassador’s residence around the corner, he sneaked me in. It was there that I overheard Scarlett Johansson complain that the subpar service of the Four Seasons in Georgetown should qualify it for a downgrade to “the Three Seasons.” I met Mike Myers, waited in line for the bathroom with Jonathan Rhys Meyers, and watched Hitchens lacerate Richard Belzer for claiming 9/11 was an inside job. I sang “Hey Jude” alongside Don Lemon with Darren Criss on piano.

Ivanka Trump and Social Reengagement

Ivanka Trump attended Kim Kardashian’s 43rd birthday party on Friday in Beverly Hills, according to Business Insider. The event, held at Funke, included other stars such as Hailey Bieber and Lauren Sanchez, the partner of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. Kardashian posted photos of the event on Instagram, including a group photo that included Trump, who wore a stylish, sparkly white, two-piece set. In another photo, she and Ivanka were seated next to each other and appeared to be laughing.

Ivanka re-shared the story photo, tagging Kardashian and writing “Enjoying some Face Time on your special day.” Several commenters on Kardashian’s post decried Trump’s presence at the party, writing things like, “not Ivanka!” Mitra Ahouraian, an entertainment attorney with high-profile clients, said she wasn’t surprised to see Ivanka Trump and Kardashian together.

“Although Ivanka has supported her father, even working for his various companies and in the White House, she has really tried to distance herself from him in the aftermath of his presidency,” Ahouraian told Insider. “I’m not at all surprised that Ivanka has managed to re-engage with her social circles and establish herself as separate and apart from her father.” Ahouraian said that Ivanka Trump has likely struggled to balance her relationship with her father, with whom she was always close, and the ways in which she disagreed with him or disapproved of his actions,something Kardashian may be able to relate to.