White House Correspondents Insider

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Archives for April 2019

2019 WHC Garden Brunch Media Coverage

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Following are highlights of media coverage of the 26th Annual White House Correspondents’ Garden Brunch, hosted on Saturday, April 27 at the Beall-Washington House in Georgetown.

Washington Post: No president, no celebs, no problem: The White House correspondents’ dinner crowd parties on
“You would call it a ban, wouldn’t you?” (Kellyanne Conway) asked, reflexively slipping into media-critic mode. The president didn’t mean that no one who works for him could attend parties, she explained, just not the dinner. “Besides, they’re our neighbors!” she said of the Bradleys, who live in embassy-heavy Observatory Circle. “I couldn’t be rude!” So Conway was free to mix it up with Adrienne Arsht and other A-listers under the lovely tent in her neighbor’s backyard. The next day, she appeared again at the A-list pre-party known as the Garden Brunch wearing a butterfly-printed romper, breezing past Jay Leno to air-kiss Greta Van Susteren.”

The Hill: Rod Rosenstein, Jay Leno chat at correspondents’ weekend brunch
“At the brunch bash, Leno surprised U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Angela Morales-Biggs with some new wheels. The Purple Heart recipient asked if Leno was joking when he presented her the keys to a new Nissan Pathfinder — a gift sponsored by Wells Fargo and Jones Junction auto group. “No, you think I’m a comedian that I’m joking?” Leno exclaimed to Morales-Biggs.”

New York Times: Perspective, Not Parody, at a Subdued Correspondents’ Dinner
“Once a high point of the Washington social calendar, the dinner has lost some of its glamour since Mr. Trump came to town…At a charity brunch on Saturday hosted by the Washington doyenne Tammy Haddad, Jay Leno was the featured guest — and even he seemed unimpressed. “We’ve pretty much reached the bottom of the barrel here,” the former “Tonight Show” host quipped of his appearance.”

POLITICO Playbook: Inside the WHCD weekend
“SPOTTED at the Garden Brunch at the Beall-Washington house Saturday morning, part of the White House Correspondents Dinner weekend, which celebrates the First Amendment, the Washington press corps and the job of D.C. journalists: Kellyanne Conway, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein and Rudy Giuliani.”

Historian Ron Chernow Launches Comedy Career at WHCD

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The annual White House Correspondents’ Association dinner took place Saturday night at the Washington Hilton. With President Donald Trump opting out of the dinner for the third year in a row – and instructing Administration officials to avoid the event as well – the event took on more of a subdued tone.

Historian Ron Chernow was the guest speaker, a departure from the tradition of featuring comedians as entertainment for the evening. Chernow managed to strike a balance between humorous moments and historical perspective during his 30 minute speech.

While his approach may have been more subtle than that of previous dinner entertainers, Chernow didn’t avoid commentary directed at the president. “Washington committed only one major blunder as president: He failed to put his name on Mount Vernon and thereby bungled an early opportunity at branding…Clearly deficient in the art of the deal, the poor man had to settle for the lowly title of father of his country. A very sad story.”

In an interview with the New York Times, President Trump’s former chief economic advisor, Gary Cohn, said of Chernow’s remarks, “It was perfectly spot-on for the time and for where we are in the world. It sort of hit the spot.”

Read more via nytimes.com: Perspective, Not Parody, at a Subdued Correspondents’ Dinner

Photo Gallery: 2019 WHC Garden Brunch

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The 26th Annual White House Correspondents’ Garden Brunch honored U.S. military service members and their families on Saturday, April 27, 2019.

What started as a backyard tradition by WHC Insider’s Tammy Haddad has become a much-anticipated event to kick-off the day. In addition to Haddad, this year’s co-hosts included Hilary Rosen, Jean and Steve Case, Mark & Sally Ein, Jennifer Dunn, Zac Moffatt, Greta Van Susteren & John Coale, Fritz Brogan, and Franco Nuschese.

View highlights from the brunch in the gallery below.

26th Annual White House Correspondents’ Garden Brunch Honors Military Service Members, Veterans and their Families

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America’s military heroes have shown us the true meaning of sacrifice. To honor active duty and retired military members and their families, the 2019 White House Correspondents’ Garden Brunch presented awards to deserving recipients who have demonstrated exemplary service to our country. The event also put a spotlight on organizations that support military service members, veterans and their families, in addition to celebrating journalism and our First Amendment rights during the afternoon prior to the 2019 White House Correspondents’ Association’s annual dinner.

Held at Katharine Graham’s Beall-Washington House, which is owned by brunch co-hosts Mark and Sally Ein, guests of the 26th edition of this White House Correspondents’ Weekend tradition included journalists, elected officials, celebrities, and other notable individuals.

This year’s Garden Brunch was hosted by Tammy Haddad, Hilary Rosen, Jean and Steve Case, Mark and Sally Ein, Jennifer Dunn, Zac Moffatt, Greta Van Susteren and John Coale, Fritz Brogan, and Franco Nuschese.

CNN’s Don Lemon and Jake Tapper emceed the program which also featured comments from brunch co-hosts Rosen, Ein and Haddad.

Co-host Jean Case presented the WHC Garden Brunch Be Fearless Award in recognition of a veteran’s fearless leadership. She honored Lt. General Gwendolyn Bingham who has broken barriers and served the country with distinction throughout her more than 30 years in the U.S. Army. Bingham is one of the few 3-star female general offices in Army history, and she is the recipient of numerous campaign and service medals.

Special guest Jay Leno also took the stage to present a Purple Heart recipient, U.S. Air Force Master Sergeant Angela Morales-Biggs of Manassas, Virginia, with the WHC Garden Brunch “Champions of Freedom” Award and the keys to a brand new, payment-free Nissan Pathfinder in a presentation sponsored by Wells Fargo and the Military Warriors Support Foundation. The automobile was provided by Jones Junction Auto Group.

As part of Wells Fargo’s commitment to helping veterans, they have partnered with the Military Warriors Support Foundation’s Transportation4Heroes program to provide support to combat-wounded veterans and Gold Star Families as they transition out of the military and into civilian life.

Leno, who has hosted the White House Correspondents’ Dinner more times than anyone else in the event’s history, was also presented with a cake and the crowd sang “Happy Birthday” to celebrate his 69th birthday on Sunday, April 28.

Blue Star Families, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, also brought several military members and their spouses as guests to the Garden Brunch.

Salesforce was also a sponsor of this year’s brunch. Additional support and food for the event was provided by Georgetown Cupcakes, Dog Tag Bakery and Compass Coffee.

The bipartisan crowd of brunch guests included Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein; Kellyanne Conway, Counselor to President Donald Trump; Valerie and Laura Jarrett, former senior adviser to President Barack Obama; Rep. Debbie Dingell, Rep. Don & Megan Beyer, Rep. David Cicilline and Rep. Lauren Underwood; John Delaney, former Congressman and presidential hopeful; Irish Ambassador to the U.S. Daniel Mulhall; the President’s personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani; actor Michael Kelly from Amazon’s “Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan”; former U.S. Solicitor General, Ted Olson; Amb. Lloyd and Ann Hand; MSNBC’s Stephanie Ruhle and Ali Velshi; CNN’s Wolf Blitzer, Jake Tapper, Don Lemon, Kate Bolduan, Alisyn Camerota and Pamela Brown; NBC’s Kasie Hunt; Bob Costa, David Rubenstein, Ben Ginsberg, Niki Christoff, Teresa Carlson, Lt. Gen. Gwendolyn Bingham (Assistant Chief of Staff, U.S. Army), Purple Heart recipient MSgt. Angela Morales-Biggs (U.S. Air Force), David Rubenstein, Stephanie Schriock, Gary Knell, Fred Ryan, David Adler, Jennifer Dunn, Kris Coratti, Susan Hendrick, Tom and Corrine Hoare, Jay Fielden, Craig Gordon, Leana Wen and Betsy Fischer Martin.

Jay Leno shares funny story about hosting 1987 White House Correspondents’ Dinner

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Earlier today, Jay Leno spoke to whcinsider.com about hosting the annual White House Correspondents’ Association dinner over the years, including a funny backstage story about his first time at the dinner during Ronald Reagan’s presidency.

Leno was a special guest at the 2019 WHC Garden Brunch on Saturday, April 27, 2019, where he presented the Champions of Freedom Award to U.S. Air Force Master Sergeant Angela Morales-Biggs.

Leno has entertained White House Correspondents’ Dinner attendees four times since 1987, hosting more times than any other individual in the dinner’s history.

Trump officials attend Garden Brunch, won’t attend Correspondents dinner

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President Donald Trump won’t be attending the White House Correspondents Dinner for the third year in a row. He also instructed White House officials to not attend the annual event, but that didn’t stop a few of them from enjoying pre-dinner festivities.

Rod Rosenstein, Rudy Giuliani and Kellyanne Conway were spotted this year’s WHC Garden Brunch at the Beall-Washington House in Georgetown, where they joined other brunch guests in honoring military service members and veterans.

Conway spoke about the importance of supporting our military service members and why events like the Garden Brunch are good for raising awareness about veterans’ issues.

In discussing the Be Fearless Award that was presented to U.S. Army Lt. General Gwen Bingham, Conway also commented on what being fearless has meant in her career.

President Trump will attend a re-election campaign rally with supporters in Green Bay, Wisconsin on Saturday night while the White House Correspondents Dinner is taking place in Washington, D.C.

Jay Leno honors military heroes and veterans at 2019 WHC Garden Brunch

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Comic legend Jay Leno was on hand at the 2019 White House Correspondents Garden Brunch to help honor military heroes and veterans. In partnership with Wells Fargo and the Military Warriors Support Foundation, Leno surprised Purple Heart recipient, U.S. Air Force Master Sergeant Angela Morales-Biggs of Manassas, Virginia with the WHC Garden Brunch Champions of Freedom Award and the keys to a brand new, payment-free Nissan Pathfinder from Jones Junction Auto Group.

Leno said, “my mom always said you should bring something – a covered dish or dessert – but I like cars. So we’re going to give you a new Nissan Pathfinder. Did you see the red one out there? That’s yours!” Leno invited Morales-Biggs’ daughter to come up on the stage to help present the car keys to her mother.

As a self-described “Air Force Brat,” Morales-Biggs lived all over the world while she was growing up. She is third generation U.S. Air Force, joining right after high school. She became a flight medic and later a combat medic. Morales-Biggs has more than 20 years of service and has been stationed all over the United States, Italy, Turkey, Korea and Afghanistan. She was injured in a combat situation and received the Purple Heart. She also received the Combat Medic Badge and is recommended to receive the Air Force Combat Action Medal.

Morales-Biggs is in the process of retiring from the Air Force and currently lives in Manassas, Virginia with her husband, Ralph, and their two children plus another baby boy on the way. She is working toward a bachelor’s degree in psychology from American Military University and plans to become a mental health counselor.

Andrea Dellinger from the Military Warriors Support Foundation and Army Reserve Lieutenant Colonel Jerry Quinn, Wells Fargo’s Head of Military & Veteran Initiatives, also participated in the award presentation.

The Military Warriors Support Foundations’ Transportation4Heroes program provides payment-free vehicles, family and financial mentorship to help veterans successfully transition from the military to civilian life.

Jay Leno to honor veterans at 2019 WHC Garden Brunch

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Jay Leno performs at the 2004 White House Correspondents Dinner

Special guest Jay Leno will join White House Correspondents Garden Brunch hosts and guests on Saturday, April 27, 2019 to honor veterans and present a Purple Heart recipient with the WHC Garden Brunch “Champions of Freedom” Award in a presentation sponsored by Wells Fargo and Military Warriors Support Foundation.

Many veterans have challenges when transitioning to civilian life, and the Military Warriors Support Foundation aims make that transition a bit easier. The organization provides mortgage-free homes and payment-free vehicles to our nation’s combat wounded heroes and Gold Star families.

Jay Leno is no stranger to White House Correspondents’ Weekend festivities. He has previously headlined the annual WHCA dinner on multiple occasions over the past three decades, and the Garden Brunch hosts are excited to have him as part of the program this year.

Andrea Dellinger from the Military Warriors Support Foundation and Army Reserve Lieutenant Colonel Jerry Quinn, Wells Fargo’s Head of Military & Veteran Initiatives, will also be part of the award ceremony.

You can watch this special presentation live via Twitter @whcinsider starting at 12:15 pm ET.

Philanthropist Jean Case to present WHC Garden Brunch “Be Fearless” Award to Lt. General Gwendolyn Bingham

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Steve Case, Tammy Haddad, Jean Case, Kara Swisher, Hilary Rosen and José Andrés at a book release party for “Be Fearless” in January 2019

Over the past several years, the White House Correspondents Garden Brunch has recognized active duty members of the military, veterans, and military families to thank them for their service and to put names and faces to the stories that journalists cover.

Jean Case, CEO of the Case Foundation and Chairman of the National Geographic Society, has shared her advice on how to be successful in her national bestselling book, “Be Fearless,” and at the 2019 Garden Brunch, she – alongside the other brunch cohosts – will recognize U.S. Army Lieutenant General Gwendolyn Bingham with the WHC Garden Brunch “Be Fearless” Award.

Bingham has served our country for more than 30 years. She has worked in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom and has served in more than 20 countries. She has also broken a lot of barriers along the way. Bingham is one of the few 3-star female general offices in U.S. Army history, and she is the recipient of numerous campaign and service medals.

For her distinguished service to our country, and her tireless efforts to improve the quality of life for men and women in uniform and their families, we are honored to recognize Lt. General Gwendolyn Bingham at the 2019 Garden Brunch.

Jean and Steve Case are co-hosts of the 2019 White House Correspondents Garden Brunch. Steve is Co-Founder of America Online and Chairman and CEO of Revolution.