The White House Correspondents’ Association was created by journalists on Feb. 25, 1914, following former President Woodrow Wilson’s threat to discontinue presidential press conferences after claiming “certain evening newspapers” misquoted him. Six months later, the White House Correspondents’ Association was formed with the mission to stop Wilson from ending his press conferences. Today, the association continues to fight for transparency from the president.
Given the current tensions between President Donald Trump and the press, the landscape of the WHCA dinner, set for April 26, will look different this year. Typically, the dinner extends invitations to comedians who poke fun at current and former presidents. Comedian Amber Ruffin was supposed to be the dinner’s headliner, but her invitation was cancelled given comments she has made about the Trump administration.
Trump himself was also not in attendance at the event during his first term in office. It is still unclear if he will make an appearance this year, but there are rumblings from the right that a rival event may be held the same night, potentially for First Lady Melania Trump’s birthday. The tradition of the sitting president attending this dinner began in 1924 with former President Calvin Coolidge. Since then, Trump is the only president who has not attended at least one WHCA dinner.
Throughout Trump’s first term, he worked to discredit the media and introduced terms such as “fake news” and “alternative facts,” and referred to the press as the “enemy of the people.” Trump’s attitude toward the press throughout his second term has only been emboldened by his reelection and ferocious support from a dedicated base. It is unsurprising Trump has decided not to attend the dinner again, but in the context of the American presidency, it is another reminder that current times are far from normal, specifically for the press.
It is not unusual for politicians to complain about journalists. However, as the President of the United States, it is anticipated that whoever is in office will field deep criticisms — it is part of the job. The Trump administration’s interactions with the press, however, go far past jabs passed back and forth. Trump is actively trying to remove the aspect of his job that requires a thick skin and an ability to tolerate criticism. Instead of tolerating criticism, he is trying to get rid of criticism of his work altogether.
Again, consider Ruffin’s being barred from the dinner and that Trump is likely not attending. If the president holds an insecurity so deep that he will neither allow a comedian to perform at what is widely considered a light-hearted event and tradition nor attend the event, he is demonstrating a willingness to engage with censorship so wholly that not even humor at his expense is allowed.
Attempting to control the journalists in the White House press pool is censorship. Attempting to discredit the Associated Press, widely considered to be one of the most baseline trustworthy news organizations that sets good journalistic principles and precedent, is censorship. But to fear criticism to the point of dismissing a comedian from a longstanding tradition because he is afraid of what will be said suggests not only an even deeper attack on the First Amendment but an understanding that his actions have gone beyond the point of anything that could be made funny.
Trump’s willingness to violate the First Amendment to this degree indicates a deeper inclination toward censorship and an understanding that his actions are morally reprehensible.
Editorials represent the majority opinion of The Post's executive editors: Editor-in-Chief Alyssa Cruz, Managing Editor Madalyn Blair and Equity Director McKenna Christy. Post editorials are independent of the publication's news coverage. The Post can be reached via editor@thepostathens.com.
