Trump to Stage a Meltdown at White House Correspondents’ Dinner
Donald Trump and the media have what could be most nicely put as a contentious relationship, as the president frequently fumes over journalists who dare to report on his many scandals. Ironically, Trump’s attacks on the press perhaps don’t get as much coverage as you’d expect. Amid all his other controversies, you’d be forgiven for forgetting that Trump told a female reporter “quiet, piggy,” and that the FBI raided a journalist’s home—all this year.But that may change soon. The Daily Beast reported Wednesday that Trump plans to give a cranky speech at Saturday’s White House Correspondents’ Dinner, in which he “is expected to target publications that he has accused of writing negatively about his administration and his war with Iran, in particular.”The Beast’s sources also allege Trump will exit the dinner after his monologue and skip the presentation of press awards—unsurprising, given how difficult it is for the president to see people other than him be praised.This means Trump will also miss the entertainment, which this year will be “mentalist” Oz Pearlman. Normally, a comedian attends to crack jokes about the media and the commander-in-chief, which has led to some legendary performances over the years. The press award winners have already been announced, and many are indeed being honored for work the president won’t be pinning to his refrigerator anytime soon.Among them is The Wall Street Journal, which is being presented with the Katherine Graham Award for Courage and Accountability for their scoop on the creepy birthday card Trump allegedly wrote for convicted sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein in 2003.Trump has never actually attended the Correspondents’ Dinner while in office, unlike the vast majority of other presidents. He last attended in 2011, when Barack Obama was in his first term. Obama threw a jab Trump’s way while on stage regarding his belief that Obama’s birth certificate was faked, which has been blamed for the sensitive Trump not showing up since.