Dem
47
GOP
53
April 26 is the date of this year's annual White House Correspondents Association (WHCA) dinner. For decades, that event has been, for lack of a better term, a political roast. A few people get up and give speeches about the First Amendment. A comedian makes some jokes about the current president, who is usually seated on the dais. Then the president gets up and fires off a few zingers of his own. It used to be the kind of event that brought people together and reminded folks on both sides of the aisle that they're all on Team America.
None of this works for Donald Trump, however. He regards the First Amendment as a hindrance, not something to be celebrated. He hates being the butt of jokes, and he has no real ability to deliver jokes himself, even if someone else writes them for him. And he certainly sees no purpose in bringing people together; his whole brand is divisiveness—talking long and loudly about which are the "good" Americans and which are the "bad" Americans.
So, Trump does not participate in, and has not participated in, an event that is a favorite for many presidents (especially Ronald Reagan and Barack Obama, both of whom, not coincidentally, are/were excellent at delivering a punchline). That's his right, of course. However, as of this year, it's also not enough for him. He wants fealty from the WHCA, even if he's not there in person to witness it.
Planning for a big event like this begins many months in advance, of course. And so, before Trump commenced his recent war on the WHCA, they hired comedian Amber Ruffin to be the headliner. Actually, since she is a Black woman, and there is pretty much nothing more likely to infuriate Trump than being mocked by a Black woman, one wonders if, when Ruffin was chosen, the WHCA expected Kamala Harris to be elected.
In any event, strike one was when Trump moved to take away much of the WHCA's power, which stems from their control of who does, and who does not, get to attend the big-time press conferences. They want that power back, so they need to make nice to him. Strike two is when the WHCA told Ruffin to do a set that targets Democrats and Republicans in equal measure. She said "no," and explained that political comedy doesn't work that way, as it largely targets whoever is in power. And strike three was when Ruffin went on a podcast over the weekend and said some mean things about Donald Trump, which gave him the sads. So, the WHCA fired Ruffin. Instead, they will make the entire event a celebration of the First Amendment, thus proving that irony isn't dead.
Certainly, we understand why the WHCA made the choices that it made. After all, their influence and their prestige, such as it is, comes from their (now suspended) control of access to the White House. However, we do not think they will be getting that back while Trump is in office. Further, does anyone really care about White House press conferences? This isn't 1922; there are now 50 channels by which information reaches the general public. If we were running the WHCA, we would not only have kept Ruffin, we would have told her to fire with both barrels, and to do everything possible to create a few meme-worthy moments. If you're going to be on the outs with the administration anyhow, might as well do it in a blaze of glory, as opposed to meekly submitting. (Z)