U.S. gov't asks officials to boycott correspondents' dinner

The White House on Tuesday issued an order asking all officials with President Donald Trump's administration to boycott the upcoming White House Correspondents' Association dinner, according to local media reports.

The order was issued by White House Cabinet Secretary Bill McGinley, said a CNN report.

In response, Olivier Knox, president of the White House Correspondents' Association, said: "We're looking forward to an enjoyable evening of celebrating the First Amendment and great journalists past, present and future."

Trump announced earlier this month that he would not attend the annual dinner scheduled on Saturday night for the third year in a row. He was expected to attend a campaign rally in Green Bay, an industrial city in the midwestern state of Wisconsin on Saturday instead.

U.S. presidents traditionally attend the White House Correspondents' Association annual dinner.

Trump's move marks yet another deterioration in relations between the White House and the press corps, local analysts said.