President Trump will bring an end to an 11-year boycott of the White House Correspondents’ Dinner this weekend — though there’s a real possibility he’ll regret making the trip.
It’s not hard to see why he’s stayed away from the high-profile annual event during his time in office. Trump’s appearance at the dinner in 2011 is frequently described as a ‘catalyst’ that helped set the stage for his eventual presidential campaign four years later.
That night, then-President Obama and comedian Seth Meyers delivered a sharp and very public roasting focused on Trump’s backing of the false ‘birther’ movement, which insisted America’s first Black president produce proof he had been born in the United States.
After Obama mocked Trump by suggesting he might also think the moon landings were staged and that Tupac is still alive, reports claimed the real estate mogul was furious — and there’s a chance tonight’s ceremony could provoke him all over again.
A big reason is the introduction of a headline-making $10,000 award aimed at the reporters and editors who populate Washington’s political beat.
The honor — the Katharine Graham Award for Courage and Accountability — is being underwritten by a major contribution from Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, funding the prize not only this year but for future dinners as well.
In its first year, the award is set to go to Bezos’ own paper, The Washington Post, recognizing its reporting on President Trump’s connections to Jeffrey Epstein — with the president expected to be in the room.
The announcement also landed on the same day a federal judge threw out Trump’s $10 billion lawsuit against the outlet. The case centered on the paper’s publication of a birthday card to the pedophile that ends with Trump allegedly saying ‘May every day be another wonderful secret,’
Trump’s decision to end the boycott came as a surprise to many and was revealed via a Truth Social message in which he claimed the Washington press corps ‘now admit that I am truly one of the Greatest Presidents in the History of our Country, the G.O.A.T.’
Still, 15 years after becoming a memorable target at Obama’s dinner, Trump appears determined not to be put in the same position again.
This time, there won’t be a comedian delivering a traditional roast — a format that has long been a centerpiece of the journalists’ gathering often labeled ‘nerd prom’ by those inside the Beltway.
Instead, the program will feature mentalist Oz Pearlman. Pearlman has said he plans to ‘get inside’ Trump’s head during the evening, hinting at a different kind of performance than the usual stand-up set.
Even if the president avoids harsh jokes and gets more polite humor than the press corps is known for, the atmosphere may be noticeably colder than in past years — and attendance could be thinner, too.
One veteran journalist told the Guardian that newsrooms have wrestled with going to the event this year. They said: “I understand it’s customary to invite the president, but we’ve never had a president like this before. It’s not about party affiliation. It’s not even about policy.
“It’s about the war he and his administration have conducted on the press and the first amendment and our ability to do our job.”