It’s long been conventional wisdom among Washington politicos that the seeds of President Trump’s White House aspirations were sown when he attended the 2011 White House Correspondents’ Dinner — and then-President Barack Obama roasted him from the podium.
But Lara Trump, his daughter-in-law, says that’s not the case.
“Many people like to go back to that Obama-era correspondents’ dinner, where they say that was the moment Donald Trump decided to run for president. I will push back on that. I think there are a lot of reasons he decided to run for president,” she said on her podcast, “The Right View.”
Mr. Trump was at the dinner as a guest of The Washington Post. Both Mr. Obama and comic Seth Meyers, the evening’s main entertainment, poked fun at the then-reality TV star.
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At that time, Mr. Trump had led a push to discredit Mr. Obama’s U.S. citizenship, calling into question the legality of his serving as president.
“Donald Trump is here tonight,” Mr. Obama said during the 2011 dinner. “Now, I know he’s taken some flak lately, but no one is happier, no one is prouder to put this birth certificate matter to rest than The Donald.
“And that’s because he can finally get back to focusing on the issues that matter, like, did we fake the moon landing? What really happened in Roswell? And where are Biggie and Tupac?” he said.
Mr. Meyers, likewise, targeted the real estate mogul turned reality TV star.
“Donald Trump has been saying that he will run for president as a Republican, which is surprising since I just assumed he’d be running as a joke,” Mr. Meyers said at the 2011 event.
The camera panned to Mr. Trump, who sat rigidly as the jokes flew.
That was the last time Mr. Trump attended the correspondents’ dinner before last weekend. Saturday’s dinner was abruptly postponed after a gunman tried to storm the ballroom at the Washington Hilton.
Gunshots at ‘Nerd Prom’
“Seen, Heard & Whispered” was among those in the ballroom Saturday, when an armed man attempted an attack on the White House Correspondents Association’s annual dinner — and because of where we sat, it was immediately clear that we’d heard gunshots.
The dinner, also known as “Nerd Prom,” has been held at the Washington Hilton for years, with organizers saying it provides the biggest space possible for the event.
Now that’s all under scrutiny.
The ballroom, located in the hotel’s lowest level, is a large oval with an elevated stage along one of the longer curves. The main floor is sunken by several steps, and there are several entrances to the room.
“Seen, Heard & Whispered”’s table was near the perimeter on the opposite side of the stage — which put us near one of those doors and left no mistake about the sound of the gunshots in a hallway outside.
We fled into a kitchen near the table and hid in a cleaning closet, along with a handful of other attendees and some of the kitchen staff.
But others who were in the ballroom had no idea what was going on. Being deeper into the room amid the din of conversation, they couldn’t hear the shots.
The suspected gunman — Cole Thomas Allen, 31, of Torrance, California — has been charged with attempting to assassinate the president.
Video shows a man trying to rush past the security checkpoint where partygoers are screened for weapons before being allowed into the ballroom. Officers captured Mr. Allen before he reached the ballroom.
During the correspondents’ dinner, the Hilton continues to operate normally. Indeed, Mr. Allen was a guest at the hotel, which is how he was able to access the outer ring of security checks, where party guests were asked to show invitations.
Another issue is that many news organizations host receptions in meeting rooms before the dinner, and those who aren’t attending the dinner can get into the hotel for those parties.
“It’s just too much to control,” one guest told “Seen, Heard & Whispered.”
Trump ally John Eastman to fight his Jan. 6 disbarment
John Eastman, the attorney who advised Mr. Trump on how to challenge the 2020 election results, tells “Seen, Heard & Whispered” that he will ask the U.S. Supreme Court to reinstate his license to practice law.
The California Supreme Court disbarred him on April 15, saying he acted dishonestly in helping Mr. Trump mount his challenges.
State Bar Chief Trial Counsel George Cardona said Mr. Eastman “advanced false claims about the 2020 presidential election to mislead courts, public officials, and the American public.”
But Mr. Eastman said in an email that there were “significant federal constitutional issues under both the First Amendment (free speech, right to petition) and Due Process clause” that give him hope for a challenge.
“We can and will ask the U.S Supreme Court to review,” Mr. Eastman said.
Mr. Eastman, former dean of the Chapman University School of Law, had advised Mr. Trump to direct Vice President Mike Pence to refuse the certification of the 2020 election results, citing fraud.
He faced several legal challenges, including an indictment in Fulton County, Georgia. That was ultimately dismissed after a court booted District Attorney Fani Willis from the case, citing the impropriety of her romantic relationship with the special prosecutor she hired to pursue the matter.
