Topics set to be discussed at unlikely Grindr White House Correspondents' Dinner as gay hookup app hosts for first time
President Donald Trump and Grindr might seem like an unlikely alliance, but no, the Commander-in-Chief isn't lurking as a blank profile on the popular hookup app - "79, hosting now, Oval Office."
Instead, Grindr is hosting its first White House Correspondents' Dinner, with a wide variety of LGBTQ+ rights up for discussion. While the weekend has become synonymous with tech brands and press outlets promoting themselves, this year's event is attempting to go in a different direction.
What is the White House Correspondents’ Dinner?
Founded in 1921 by the White House Correspondents' Association, the annual event is supposed to celebrate the First Amendment while raising money for journalism scholarships and honoring journalistic excellence through a series of awards.
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Taking place at the Washington Hilton, 2026's White House Correspondents' Dinner will see Donald Trump in attendance after he boycotted it several times during his first term. Even though the POTUS will be there, there's been further backlash from some outlets, as the likes of HuffPost confirm they'll be skipping the event due to the current administration's relationship with the press.
Both the Creative Artists Agency and United Talent Agency will be holding receptions ahead of the main event, while talent agency WME is making a donation to the Freedom of the Press Foundation instead of hosting a party.
Paramount CEO David Ellison, YouTube, Substack, and MS Now are all holding their own soirées, meaning Grindr looks like it'll stick out from the bunch, considering it's typically seen as a gay hookup app.
What is Grindr discussing at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner?
For the first time ever, Grindr will be hosting the "White House Correspondents’ Dinner Weekend Party”, taking place on April 24, which is just one day before the WHCA’s dinner. Joe Hack, Grindr’s head of global government affairs, sent out an invite that called the event an opportunity to “bring together policymakers, journalists, and LGBTQ community leaders as we toast the First Amendment.” Said to be taking place in a swanky Georgetown mansion that's worth $9 million, Hack told USA Today: "Grindr represents a global community with real stakes in Washington. The issues being debated here -- HIV funding, digital privacy, LGBTQ+ human rights -- are daily life for our community."
Touting the app's ability to bring people together, Hack concluded: "Nobody does connections like Grindr and WHCD weekend is the most iconic place in the country to make them. We figured it was time to host."
There's no mention of whether the openly gay Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent or former Kennedy Center president Ric Grenell will be in attendance.
It comes as Grindr CEO George Arrison has tried to make the app a more politically inclusive place. In a 2025 interview with Unherd, Arrison said: "No matter what their political views are, people who are gay should be welcome on Grindr and we want them to have a really good experience."
Will Grindr's first White House Correspondents’ Dinner become an annual event, or is this one and done?
With controversy abound, there are continued complaints about how the current administration handles LGBTQ+ rights. Only recently, Caitlyn Jenner appealed to President Trump after she claimed she was unable to travel internationally due to the current mandate that a person's passport has to list their birth gender.
Away from the Grindr dinner, more than 250 journalists have penned a letter to the White House Correspondents’ Association, demanding that it defend the freedom of the press and call President Trump to task. The passionate letter states: "Speak forcefully, in front of the man who seeks to undermine our country’s long tradition of independent, strong, and free press."