Whca President Opens Dinner Highlighting Trump’s Absence And ‘extremely Difficult’ Year For The Press

White House Correspondents' Association President Eugene Daniels kicked disconnected nan group's yearly meal Saturday nighttime pinch pointed remarks astir President Donald Trump’s absence, and a broader title astir what he called an "extremely difficult" twelvemonth for nan press. 

"I cognize this has been an highly difficult twelvemonth for each of you. It's been difficult for this association," Daniels said.  

"We've been tested, attacked, but each azygous time our members get up, they tally to nan White House, plane, train, automobile pinch 1 mission, holding nan powerful accountable." 

Daniels, who precocious joined MSNBC full-time aft his stint astatine Politico, made nan comments wrong nan first minutes of nan dinner, noting to nan crowd, "This meal is going to consciousness a small different than usual. There's nary president, there's nary comedian." 

WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENTS' DINNER HOST SAYS 'NO ONE WANTS' TRUMP TO SHOW UP 

White House Correspondents’ Association President Eugene Daniels, right, opened nan yearly meal by criticizing Trump’s absence and highlighting a difficult twelvemonth for nan press. (Getty Images)

Saturday’s arena marked different twelvemonth without Trump, who opted to skip nan meal passim his first word arsenic well. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt besides declined to attend. President Joe Biden attended each 3 dinners held during his tenure; nan 2021 meal successful his first twelvemonth successful agency was canceled owed to COVID-19 concerns.

Traditionally, nan arena has featured a comedian poking nosy astatine nan media and charismatic Washington, arsenic good arsenic nan sitting president doing a stand-up routine. The arena besides traditionally raises money for scholarships and programs supporting nan WHCA’s work. It often features a star-studded crowd from nan media, politics, and Hollywood. 

A awesome break from contented this twelvemonth was nan deficiency of a comedian roasting nan sitting president. Daniels announced past period that comic Amber Ruffin’s scheduled capacity had been canceled, calling it portion of a "re-envisioning" of nan dinner.  

In a memo to WHCA members, Daniels said he wanted to displacement nan night’s attraction distant from "the authorities of division" and toward celebrating publicity and free property initiatives. 

ANTI-TRUMP COMEDIAN JOKES SHE WAS BOOTED FROM WHCA FOR 'TALKING SH--' 

The determination to cancel Ruffin came 1 time aft White House Deputy Chief of Staff Taylor Budowich criticized nan WHCA’s selection, calling nan wide Ruffin a "2nd-rate comedian" connected X, and noting her erstwhile hostility toward nan Trump administration.  

Ruffin responded connected Seth Meyers' late-nght show pinch a sharp, satirical skit. Mocking nan thought of governmental fairness for "both sides," she joked, "We person a free property truthful that we tin beryllium bully to Republicans astatine fancy dinners." Ruffin besides commented that "when bad group do bad things, you person to dainty them reasonably and respectfully." 

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This year’s meal comes amid heightened tensions betwixt nan property and nan Trump White House. Some media outlets person accused nan management of sidelining accepted news organizations astatine charismatic events.  

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Earlier this year, nan Trump management barred nan Associated Press from immoderate property excavation events aft they chose to disregard Trump's executive bid renaming nan Gulf of Mexico to nan Gulf of America. A federal judge ruled that nan White House’s actions violated nan Constitution, though nan management has appealed nan decision. It besides removed nan accepted ligament work slot successful nan rotating property pool.