Friday night’s redo of the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner had three things in common with April’s doomed event, which was cut short after the intrusion of a gunman. The first was a beaming President Donald Trump, delighted to be holding court among the journalists whom he habitually abuses, insults and subpoenas. The second was the presence of the aforementioned journalists, who in their gowns and tuxedos looked like runway models in a Stockholm syndrome-themed fashion show. And the third was the absence of a comedian entrusted with making jokes about the leader of the free world.
Roasting the commander in chief was once a venerable WHCA tradition. But like so many American institutions subjected to a MAGA stare-down or shakedown, the organization abandoned its principles.
In 2025, the WHCA disinvited comedian Amber Ruffin. This year, the WHCA didn’t invite a comedian at all. With professional comics absent from the dais, roast master Donald was poised to fill the void.
This is a preview of a column by Jacques Berlinerblau. Read the full column here.
