WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump says he’ll be skipping this year’s annual White House Correspondents’ Association dinner again and holding a rally instead.

Trump is criticizing the dinner as he departs the White House en route to California, telling reporters he doesn’t want to attend “because the dinner is so boring and so negative.”

He says he likes “positive things” instead.

Trump also says his team has yet to settle on a rally location, but assures “it’ll be a big one.”

Trump had suggested earlier that he might attend this year’s dinner after organizers scrapped the usual format featuring a comedian and instead invited Pulitzer Prize-winning author Ron Chernow to speak.

Presidents traditionally attend the dinner, but Trump has skipped it the last two years.