President Donald Trump
walks alongside a CNN logo.
AP Images
/ Alan Diaz

• CNN reportedly will boycott the White House’s annual
  Christmas party, due to President Donald Trump’s “continued
  attacks” on the press.
• The party is meant for members of the press and White
  House officials to socialize.
• “Christmas comes early,” White House press secretary
  Sarah Huckabee Sanders tweeted, following the
  announcement.

Citing President Donald Trump’s “continued attacks” on the press,
CNN is boycotting the White House’s
annual Christmas party, according to a Politico report Tuesday.

“CNN will not be attending this year’s White House Christmas
party,” a CNN spokesperson told Politico. “In light of the
President’s continued attacks on freedom of the press and CNN, we
do not feel it is appropriate to celebrate with him as his
invited guests.”

Despite not taking part in the festivities, the CNN spokesperson
said that they would provide coverage for the event: “We will
send a White House reporting team to the event and report on it
if news warrants.”

Following the announcement, White House press secretary Sarah
Huckabee Sanders appeared to be elated: “Christmas comes early!
Finally, good news from @CNN,” Sanders tweeted to Politico’s story.

The event, in which members of the press and White House
officials can escape from their ongoing, daily feuds, is being
overshadowed by Trump’s hostile stance towards certain networks,
particularly CNN.

“[Fox News] is MUCH more important in the United States than CNN,
but outside of the U.S., CNN International is still a major
source of (Fake) news, and they represent our Nation to the WORLD
very poorly,” Trump tweeted Saturday. “The outside
world does not see the truth from them!”

CNN reporters have since condemned Trump’s statement, one of many
about the network, and replied to his original tweet.

“At CNN we dodge bullets to bring you the news,” tweeted Christiane Amanpour, CNN’s
chief international correspondent. “Nothing fake about that.”

“If President Trump knew the facts, he would never have sent that
tweet,” Amanpour said in another tweet.