Many of us resolved not to attend this year’s White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA) dinner after WHCA president and MSNBC correspondent Eugene Daniels went out and found a vehemently anti-Trump comedian to serve as the featured speaker. It was a continuation of the pronounced bias shown by the WHCA, but Daniels somehow succeeded in amplifying that message this year with the selection of Amber Ruffin. The WHCA stood with Ruffin despite her apparently doubling down on her views. It was not until shortly before the dinner that the WHCA threw in the towel. After that history, it was bizarre to read that Daniels offered a defiant speech, claiming that “what we are not is the opposition.” That was not intended as one of the comedic lines of the evening.
The WHCA has long shown a political bias in such comedians, but nothing quite as brazen as Ruffin. Even for the WHCA, it was beyond the pale and many of us had resolved not to attend this year.
Notably, the prior year, the dinner (which I attended) featured Colin Jost. The comedian (before the election) made a tearful comparison of Biden to his late Irish firefighting grandfather. It was nothing short of a public campaign endorsement.
They then selected someone who reportedly views the Trump administration as a gang of “murderers” who “feel like [they are] human beings, but … shouldn’t get to feel that way, because [they are] not.” Ruffin declared that no one wanted Trump to attend.
It was another blue plate special to be served up at the WHCA dinner.
However, this was about as inviting for Trump and Republicans as a meal with the Donner party.
While some of us were appalled by his choice, Daniels gave a full-throated endorsement of Ruffin and insisted that “Amber’s unique talents are the ideal fit for this current political and cultural climate.”
It was only after Ruffin continued to double down that the WHCA felt compelled to cancel her appearance.
In an appearance on the Daily Beast podcast this week, Ruffin said she was told by the WHCA that “you need to be equal, and make sure that you give it to both sides and blah, blah, blah. And I was like, ‘There’s no way I’m going to be freaking doing that, dude, under no circumstances.'”
Daniels insisted last night that
“We are not the enemy of the state…Our responsibility is not to align with any one party or any one of gender, but to serve the people of this country with integrity and dedication. 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,” Daniels said to applause, before appearing to push back on remarks made in the past by President Trump.”
I credit Axios’ Alex Thompson for calling out the press for failing to properly report on former President Joe Biden’s declining mental capacity: “Being truth tellers also means telling the truth about ourselves. We, myself included, missed a lot of this story.”
However, I am not sure it was a case of “missing” the story. Many outside of the mainstream media were writing about it. Fox News was reporting on it. The White House correspondents simply refused to pursue the story as they reported denials from Democratic leaders and White House staff.
The statement also ignores the host of other stories ignored by the media and the pronounced bias shown in stories like the Biden influence peddling scandal and other controversies. Biden’s incapacity was only acknowledged when it could no longer be denied.
It’s enjoyable to see how the fetid winds puffing up the sails of anti-Trump resistance have collapsed, leaving the few, feeble attempts to counter Prof Turley’s comments here.
WHCA should prove it is impartial by inviting Nick Di Paolo to the next shindig.
Jonathan: Talk about comedic lines!. You say “many of us resolved not to attend this years” WHCA dinner. How “many” you don’t say. But we’re not surprised given your backing of pretty much all of DJT’s fascist agenda. Your non attendance follows DJT’s refusal to attend any WHCA dinner during his first term and his refusal to attend this year.
What is remarkable is that every other president, including Joe Biden, has participated in the WHCA dinners. Only DJT refused. Why? Because he is incapable of self-deprecation or any humor at his expense. DJT can dish out all sorts of mean and vile criticisms but doesn’t like being on the receiving end. That’s because he is a thin-skinned narcissist who is consumed with vengeance and retribution against anyone who criticizes him.
Now we can understand why you might not want to attend the WHCA dinners. You would be a fish out of water among all those serious journalists that have a sense of humor!
That’s an idiotic comment.
You are imbued with a far Left orientation, clueless by choice, biased by nature and irretrievable from across the aisle. The WHCA feeds your perspective and spectrum of thought, as you decline to be critical of their reporting that mimics the daily distribution of DNC talking points in addition to material filtered to spare Democrats of unfavorable reporting. Far more disturbing is the penchant for the WHCA to embrace the guest comedians at the annual dinner delivering tasteless nasty personal barbs
Serious journalists – you’re a riot – I needed some satire to start my day 🙂
“Serious journalists?” Surely you jest.
More of Turley trying to normalize Trump and MAGA–Turley, you and MAGA are not “US”, meaning most Americans. Trump LIED about groceries and Project 2025 to get into office, and he has made a total mess of everything, from the economy, to massive court losses, to alienating our allies and closest neighbors, handling of migrants and the disasterous choices for major cabinet positions—based solely on being election deniers and willing to be loyal to a sociopathic narcissistic lying racist and misogynist. Excerpted from “The Hill”, quoting your employer–Fox News:
“President Trump’s approval rating is 11 points underwater in the most recent Fox News survey on his administration, the latest sign of his support starting to drop ahead of his second term hitting the 100-day mark next week.
The poll showed Trump with an approval rating of 44 percent, down 5 points from the 49 percent he had in March. Fox noted the latest number is lower than where all of his most recent predecessors were at this point in their presidencies.
Former President George W. Bush had the highest rating among 21st-century presidents with 63 percent approval, followed by former President Obama with 62 percent and former President Biden with 54 percent. Trump also had a rating 1 point higher at this point in his first term than his current one.
Pollsters found 55 percent of respondents said they disapprove of Trump’s job performance.
Nearly 60 percent disapprove of Trump’s handling of inflation and tariffs, while only a third say they approve. A 56 percent majority also disapprove of Trump’s handling of the economy in general, while 38 percent approve.
Those findings add on to other polls that have suggested voters’ attitudes toward the economy under Trump are increasingly declining. That’s particularly striking given that the economy had regularly been seen as one of Trump’s strengths since the start of his first term.
The Fox poll showed 71 percent of voters view the economy poorly and 55 percent say it’s getting worse for their family. Narrow majorities say they believe Trump’s economic policies are hurting the economy now and will do so in the long run. ”
For all of the lying MAGA media doles out against Joe Biden, accusing him of mental infirmity based on his : stuttering, which was a lifelong problem, arthritis, which makes it difficult for him to walk at times and stumble–he was a much better POTUS–he had much better qualified people in his administration. Biden accomplished much more than Trump ever could, beginning with cleaning up the mess Trump left behind, and now, 100 days in, we have a measles epidemic, a lying anti-vaxx brain worm infested heroin addicted weirdo in charge of HHS, a Constitutional crisis because Trump will not obey court orders, one scandal after another regarding a drunken loser who is unqualified to lead the DOD, a dumb bottle blondie who fires prosecutors for telling the truth and fights against court orders, including one from the SCOTUS, and the firing of cancer researchers, VA nurses and counselors, trying to end the DOE, school lunches, USAID, and the CFPB–all laid out in Project 2025 that Trump lied about being his agenda. He absolutely couldn’t stand not being the center of attention at Pope Francis’s funeral, so he had to stage a “meeting” with Zelenskyy–where? In a private room somewhere–on Air Force One–in the US Embassy? Oh, no–right there in St. Peter’s Basilica. Trump and his arrogance make sensible people want to puke.
Until they fire Turley, he’s going to keep ignoring the negative stories about Trump, the ongoing damage to America he keeps causing and endless attacks against Democrats, but Turley, only MAGAs fall for your BS that disapproval and mocking Trump is biased. Look at the polling–Americans do not approve of Trump and what he’s doing–that’s NOT biased–that’s reality.
I like to ignore the video evidence.
Aren’t you precious
Poor Gigi, TDS is real. Seek professional help.
You need help