Vanity Fair wrote a piece on “11 Memorable Moments in the History of the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.” The yucks were coming fast and furious until even a casual reader realized something: every target of the “Best Moments” was a Republican president.
That’s what Donald Trump is up against when he travels to the Washington Hilton for the White House Correspondents’ Dinner (WHCD).
This is not akin to Daniel being thrown into the lion’s den. Daniel had it easy.
“On Monday, hundreds of veteran journalists sent a letter to the White House Correspondents Association, asking them to ‘forcefully demonstrate opposition to President Trump’s efforts to trample freedom of the press,” reports Straight Arrow News (SAN).
“The group claims Trump’s attendance at the event is a “profound contradiction of its purpose,” saying the dinner is meant to serve as a symbol of how vital and irreplaceable the free press is in the U.S.,” SAN observed.
Yes, a free press is “vital and irreplaceable” in America. Too bad White House correspondents, as a group, are the biggest bunch of evil, biased propagandists to ever take pen to paper (or whatever modern reporters write with: AI probably).
The D.C. press corps is the Stasi of journalism. They have no standards and fewer morals. They wouldn’t hesitate to cut a rival’s throat for a scoop, and destroying politicians, their families, and their lives is considered a worthy goal.
Especially if they’re conservative Republicans.
Donald Trump isn’t going to stand on ceremony, be respectful, and give gentle jabs to his daily tormentors. The Daily Beast is reporting that Trump is going to load his cannon with grapeshot and give the assembled press both a taste of cold steel.
“Donald Trump will launch a ‘revenge’ attack on the White House media when he confronts them in person at a Washington dinner on Saturday night, reports the outlet. “He is expected to target publications that he has accused of writing negatively about his administration and his war with Iran, in particular, according to sources.”
Shocker. Not.
According to the Daily Beast’s lights, Trump won’t follow the script the left-wing media has written for him. No apologies. No mea culpas. His “jokes” won’t make too many liberals laugh, but probably make conservatives smile.
He will be preceded on stage by someone called “Oz the Mentalist,” who I assume will pretend to read people’s minds, or something.
What’s in Trump’s mind will not be printed in a family newspaper or broadcast over the air.
Now, the president is changing his tune and attending the event on Saturday. And while we can’t predict exactly what will happen at the event, we can say this one will be different.
For one, the dinner is typically hosted by a comedian. But not this year. Oz Pearlman, better known as Oz the Mentalist, will be the master of ceremonies.
Pearlman told ABC News the dinner will be a “career-defining moment.”
“I think it’s going to be the ultimate challenge, and it’s also the most authentic, genuine reaction, because when I do things, the easiest solution is always, ‘Well, they’re in on it, right?’” Pearlman said.
He said the audience of journalists is his “bread and butter.”
He even noted his job is “not to come in and roast,” even though the dinner has become known as a roast session for public officials.
Will Trump really give the press a spanking? Or will he, in typical Trump fashion, be extremely funny and engaging while getting in his shots on specific members of the press?
That would surprise everyone, but gain him no plaudits from the media. And the media will have some kind of “statement” when Trump speaks; something that will draw attention to them, like a two-year-old throwing a tantrum.
My guess is that several dozen reporters will stand and turn their backs on Trump. Like any drama queen, they have to be the center of attention even when the story is not about them.
They’d do far better if they actually like, you know, did their jobs without fanfare. Journalism used to be a craft, not an exercise in creative writing that most reporters see it today. In a few years, when their publications and networks are history, they may wonder why, in the end, no one believed them enough to try and save their industry or their jobs.
Blacksmiths probably wondered the same thing.
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