Biden roasts Trump at Correspondents’ Dinner, toasts free press
President Joe Biden roasted Donald Trump at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner while also highlighting the “seriousness” of the 2024 election.
The White House Correspondents’ Association is walking back plans to feature comedian Amber Ruffin at its 2025 dinner after criticism from the Trump administration.
White House Correspondents’ Association president Eugene Daniels announced the change Saturday in a note to press colleagues first shared by CNN’s Brian Stelter. No comedian will be featured this year, Daniels said.
“As the date nears, I will share more details of the plans in place to honor journalistic excellence and a robust, independent media covering the most powerful office in the world. As a first step, I wanted to share that the WHCA board has unanimously decided we are no longer featuring a comedic performance this year,” Daniels wrote.
This year’s WHCA dinner is set to take place at The Washington Hilton on April 26 in Washington, D.C.
Daniels, who left Politico last month to join cable news network MSNBC, is the current president of the WHCA.
“At this consequential moment for journalism, I want to ensure the focus is not on the politics of division but entirely on awarding our colleagues for their outstanding work and providing scholarship and mentorship to the next generation of journalists,” he continued.
The news broke a day after Trump White House deputy chief of staff Taylor Budowich on X slammed the WHCA’s decision to invite Ruffin to host, which was first announced in February.
“This year’s @whca dinner will be hosted by a 2nd rate comedian who is previewing the event by calling this administration ‘murderers’ who want to ‘feel like human beings, but they shouldn’t get to feel that way, because you’re not’” Budowich wrote on X.
“What kind of responsible, sensible journalist would attend something like this? More importantly, what kind of company would sponsor such as hate-filled and violence-inspiring event?” he added.
After the news broke, Budowich continued criticizing the WHCA, calling their statement a “cop out.”
(This story has been updated because an earlier version included an inaccuracy.)
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