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Journalists strike back at Trump's attacks with 'we are not the enemy' message at somber WHCA dinner
Journalists strike back at Trump's attacks with 'we are not the enemy' message at somber WHCA dinner

Irish Daily Star

time27-04-2025

  • Politics
  • Irish Daily Star

Journalists strike back at Trump's attacks with 'we are not the enemy' message at somber WHCA dinner

The annual White House Correspondents Dinner was held Saturday night despite the current occupant of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue being notably absent from the event that is commonly referred to as the "nerd prom." Reporters, editors and celebrities mingled at the Washington Hilton in what was a more somber gathering of America's top journalists than in previous years. The White House Correspondents Association chose to focus on highlighting excellence in journalism, without directly addressing the attacks on the free press being carried out by the current administration. President Donald Trump , much like during his first term, chose to skip the annual gathering, amid his growing attacks on the free press. Read More Related Articles Melania's blunt two-word response to Trump as they arrive for Pope's funeral Read More Related Articles Donald Trump branded 'disgusting' as he honors Pope Francis in 'baffling' way Kaitlan Collins attends the 2025 White House Correspondents' Association Dinner at Washington Hilton on April 26, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Image: Getty Images) Trump has always had a contentious relationship with members of the media but that contempt has grown into targeted attacks during his first 100 days back in the Oval Office. These include barring the Associated Press from covering the White House over its refusal to change its style book from the Gulf of Mexico to the "Gulf of America" and a lawsuit against CBS News over a 60 Minutes interview with then-Democratic Presidential Nominee Kamala Harris. Several outlets took home prestigious awards Saturday night, including Axios reporter Alex Thompson, for his reporting on President Joe Biden's mental decline and its subsequent cover-up by members of his staff and family. Thompson's forthcoming book with CNN's Jake Tapper details Biden's cognitive decline leading up to his disastrous debate performance against Trump — which led to him dropping his bid for re-election. While accepting the WHCA's Aldo Beckman Award for Overall Excellence in White House Coverage Thompson said "President Biden's decline and its cover-up by the people around him is a reminder that every White House, regardless of party, is capable of deception. While not mentioning Trump by name directly, WHCA President and MSNBC Reporter Eugene Daniels pointed out the Commander-in-Chief's notable absence, while saying the WHCA doesn't invite presidents to the event to curry favor with them but rather to remind them they should be in support of a robust free press. "We invite them to demonstrate that those of us who have chosen the public service of journalism aren't doing it because we love flights on Air Force One or walking into the Oval Office. It's to remind them why a strong fourth estate is essential for democracy," Daniels said. Daniels then showed a compilation video of all the former presidents who have attended the dinner in the past, including Presidents Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama and Joe Biden . Trump is the only president in the last several decades to have never attended the WHCD while in office. Kevin O'Leary (L)attends the 2025 White House Correspondents' Association Dinner at Washington Hilton on April 26, 2025 in Washington, DC (Image: Getty Images) Saturday's event lacked the traditional comedian headliner, with the WHCA abruptly canceling comedian Amber Ruffin's scheduled performance last month. Daniels said of the cancellation that the night would be primarily focused on uplifting and celebrating journalists. '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,' Daniels said in March about the decision to axe Ruffin's set. While Trump had never attended the dinner while in office he has attended several times before being elected president — most notably in 2011, when then-President Barack Obama delivered a scathing roast of Trump related to the so-called "birther" conspiracy Trump famously pushed, claiming Obama had not been born in the United States. " Donald Trump is here tonight. I know he's taken some flack lately, but no one is happier, no one is prouder, to put this birth certificate matter to rest than the Donald," Obama said at the time. "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." Obama then mocked Trump's "breath of experience" as he called it, eliciting laughs from the audience as he described an episode of The Apprentice. Many political pundits and experts have theorized that this was the moment Trump resolved to run for president. Without the traditional comedic headliner and with the president not in attendance the event wrapped up much earlier than in previous years. But Daniels closed the night with an impassioned speech about the importance of journalism in a democracy and again without mentioning him by name, appeared to take another swipe at Trump before wrapping things up. President of the White House Correspondents' Association Eugene Daniels poses for photographers as he arrives at the annual White House Correspondents' Association Dinner in Washington, Saturday, April 26, 2025. (Image: AP) "We journalists are a lot of things, we're competitive and pushy, we're impatient and sometimes we think we know everything," Daniels said. "But we're also human, we miss our families and significant life moments in service to this job. We care deeply about accuracy and take seriously the heavy responsibility of being stewards of the public's trust. What we are not is the opposition, what we are not is the enemy of the people and what we are not is the enemy of the state." Trump in the past has repeatedly called journalists "enemies of the people" and has continued his attacks on the free press during his second stint in the White House.

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