White House Correspondents Dinner: In the Room on a Night of Noble Tributes, Sharp Jokes, and Surreal Views

President Joe Biden and comedian Trevor Noah completed their routine by urging reporters to work on the White House Correspondents Association dinner and press freedom.

“American democracy is not a reality show,” the president said.

However, one of the elements that sets the dinner apart from other premier events on the DC calendar is the size and volume of the dinner, not to mention the somewhat surreal nature of the mix between the Council on Foreign Relations and the TMZ team. . . That’s why C-SPAN has been covering the red carpet for years, even in the years when Biden’s predecessor, reality show president Donald Trump, missed the event.

“This is a scene,” White House Chief of Staff Ron Klein told ABC News during a pre-party at the Washington Hilton. A few minutes later, there was a bit of a hustle and bustle as photographers and guests with iPhones crossed the rung of the net and repeated the line to film the arrival of Kim Kardashian and Pete Davidson. MSNBC’s Chris Hayes filmed the scene and then spoke to producer / writer Danny Strong at that moment in a bit of a shock. One of the attendees, who took great photos of both of them, excitedly said to the other guests: “My God, look for it in the list.”

Klein was then asked by a spokesperson if she wanted to be on the red carpet with Kardashian and Davidson, and the answer was definitely no. But Klein agreed to speak to Kardashian, which she did in minutes. Klein said the conversation was about Kardashian’s social media post about Biden mitigating 75 sentences because he was a criminal activist.

“It has a lot of inaccessibility,” Klein said, referring to Kardashian supporters.

In her dinner remarks, Gail King even talked about going to dinner on the main red carpet with Drew Barrymore, but then the photographers were ordered to lead the way for “Katie,” which means Kim and Pete. King and Barrymore performed and then decided to go back to the photo row. “Do you think we’re back?” Yes. “We wanted our picture,” King said.

The dinner itself takes place in the brutalist Hilton Underground Ballroom, a huge cave-like space that can barely accommodate a dinner of around 2,600 attendees. Getting to the table on the other side of the side entrance can be a challenge of around 10 minutes to swim through the narrow openings between the tables and politely ask seated guests to move a little more to get around.

There seems to have been some suggestions in the past about moving dinner to a much larger space, says the Washington Convention Center, but the WHCA chose the right venue instead of a more horrifying setting. But this year’s crowd destruction naturally worried Covid, forcing it to request proof of vaccination and a negative test on the same day. This seemed to be enough to satisfy the concerns of many present: Klein was one of the few to wear the mask when he traveled with Biden to Minnesota on Sunday for Walter Mondel’s funeral. Some attendees insisted on elbows, but otherwise it was mostly about returning to dinner as usual: a passion for socializing.

The program started after a small dinner of fillet, grilled sea bass and wild mushroom risotto, some snacks for the chicken party. Television generally highlights the president’s remarks and the comedian’s remarks. However, the start of the show was pre-recorded with comedic pieces by Billy Eichner and James Corden. The latter was well informed that after Jen Psak was taken to the White House meeting room, a reporter forced him to answer her question and, on the other hand, told her: “You are right. Jeff is a little reluctant. This piece of humor, a reference to Reuters correspondent and former WHCA president Jeff Mason, caused more laughter in Corden’s material.

This year’s president Steve Portnoy of CBS News Radio noted that Biden’s first dinner was in 1974, when he was still a new Delaware senator. The 79-year-old president made the sign of the cross. Portnoy then noted that the singer for that year was Roy Clark. It was a small reminder that as this tradition continues, organizers have made progress in learning what works and what doesn’t.

Biden’s notes and Noah’s routine sang, but didn’t burn, to use the phrase from another DC event, the Gridiron Dinner. Drawing the right tone wasn’t as easy as it sounds – Michelle Wolf’s 2018 routine is still awkwardly remembered in the room when she followed then-press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who was in the room, very personally. . On the contrary, there were comics that were also very humble.

The president has made good strides in his disaster, guided by his self-deprecating references. “Republicans seem to be supporting a guy, someone named Brandon,” he said. “He has a very good year. I’m happy for him. ”The joke about the Florida Republican attacks on the Walt Disney Co. hasn’t come out.

Unsurprisingly, he told Fox News: “I know there are a lot of questions about whether we should meet here tonight because of COVID. We are here to show the country that we can overcome this pandemic. Also, everyone must certify that they are fully vaccinated and Get better. Just contact your favorite Fox News reporter. They’re all here. Vaccinated and improved. ”Instead, Fox News’s John Roberts raised his fist in greeting.

Joe Biden denies Fox News’ hypocrisy, laughs at low polls, praises Trevor Noah, and shows WHCD by saying “Come on, Brandon!”

Noah has also made it to Fox News, as well as other networks. “It was right,” White House correspondent Peter Dussie told the network. He was apparently prepared because he was holding a C-SPAN camera when Noah’s group focused on Fox News. “You always know where the camera is,” Dusi said.

Indeed, while the dinner is held in respect of its traditions, it has become a more fluid production event, while some high-profile attendees are more aware that their reactions will likely be recorded on a camera. Biden didn’t laugh at one of Noah’s jokes about Ginny Thomas, but he laughed when Noah joked that it was “the golden age of conspiracy theories – would it be fair to think Trump can still win the 2020 election?” if Joe hangs to the left? “Biden can still win the 2024 election.

Trevor Noah’s WHCD routine takes a chance on Will Smith’s Oscar, name controls Joe Rogan, revives Fox News’ Roger Ailes, and makes fun of Paramount +

At the end of the evening the excitement erupted for a hint of humor, but mostly because the dinner was back, none of this was too soon, as there was a strong demand for public events, as well as a more serious problem of attack. the Freedom press. Part of the evening paid tribute to the deceased journalists who followed the war in Ukraine, with Biden and Noah concluding their remarks by comparing the United States with Russia and not accepting the First Amendment itself. “Trevor, the great news is that now you have to burn the president of the United States and not go to jail unlike Moscow,” Biden said.

Transport Secretary Pete Butiji said the evening was “truly a feeling of recovery”. At a Paramount after party at the French ambassador’s residence, Secretary of State Anthony Blinken called the evening “very positive”.

The dinner was canceled for the last two years of the pandemic and it has been speculated that it might be time to close the books on an event often seen at the Beltway festival of conviviality. If anything, this year’s event has shown that this curious tradition will stay here for the foreseeable future.