White House Correspondents Insider

Behind the scenes of the most powerful city in the world — Washington, D.C. — and those who cover it.

President Trump Won’t Meet the Press

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Jeff Goldblum, Emilie Livington, Robin Dearden and Bryan Cranston at the 2016 Garden Brunch. Photo courtesy Haddad Media.

It’s only three days until the top journalists and policymakers celebrate the white house press corps but the leader of the free world will be in Harrisburg, PA holding a rally that evening.  President Donald Trump has previously announced he will not attend this year’s White House Correspondents’ Dinner.  Instead, he recently announced he will host a rally in Pennsylvania the night of April 29th.

The White House would not offer details on rally details such as venue or topic.  According to Trump’s campaign website, the rally will take place in Harrisburg at 7:30 PM.

President Trump has taken an adversarial tone toward many in the mainstream media, including calling network news channels and print publications “fake news.”  No member of the White House staff will attend this year’s Correspondents’ Dinner in “solidarity” with the president.

The White House Correspondents’ Dinner will take place on Saturday at the Washington Hilton, annually drawing more than 2,000 reporters, celebrities and politicians.  Trump will be the first sitting president not in attendance since Ronald Reagan was recovering from an assassination attempt in 1981.

“The Daily Show’s” Hasan Minjah will be the featured performer at this year’s dinner, and legendary reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein will present journalism awards.  Proceeds from the dinner will fund scholarships for exceptional journalism students.

Trump Family Hosts White House Easter Egg Roll

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Photo courtesy the White House.

President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump hosted their first White House Easter Egg Roll, amidst recent doubts the event would even take place.

With weather being overcast and cool on Monday, the Trumps welcomed children and their families from across the nation to partake in the 139-year tradition, with crowds approaching 20,000 people expected. About 200 volunteers – a fifth of the normal number – staffed the event.

Guests participated in activities beyond the egg rolling itself, including an egg hunt, decorating cookies, writing letters to U.S. troops, participating in a Minecraft coding activity with volunteers from Microsoft, and characters such as the Easter Bunny and Sesame Street’s Elmo.

Addressing the crowd, the President thanked the crowds and the soldiers deployed around the globe.

“We will be stronger and bigger and better as a nation than ever before and we are right on track…. Thanks you everybody for coming. We’re going to do cards for soldiers. Melania and Barron and myself are going to sign some cards for some great troops… We’re going come out and join you… for a great Easter egg roll.”

The first lady also addressed the participants, saying it was the “first time my husband and I are hosting this wonderful tradition. It’s great that all of you are here with us today. I want to thank the military band, staff and all the volunteers who worked tirelessly to make sure you enjoy the activities.”

At 10:30 AM, as a slight rain slowed to a drizzle, the Trumps joined scores of children waiting to begin.

“I’ve seen those kids and they’re highly, highly competitive,” the president said.

How important is President Trump’s Easter Egg Roll? This year Mark Halperin was on site as well as the usual morning show hosts including the Today Show’s Al Roker.

Kellyanne Conway and Sean Spicer Explain Why President Trump is Skipping out on This Year’s White House Correspondents Dinner

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Photo courtesy Newseum.

Wednesday’s Newseum Press Summit offered it’s fair share of newsworthy moments with one-on-one’s with both Press Secretary Sean Spicer and Counselor to the President Kellyanne Conway. Both of them fielded questions about their place in the controversial new administration during its first 100 days, and they each gave some clues as to why President Trump and his administration have decided to skip out on the White House Correspondents Dinner this year.

Photo courtesy Haddad Media

Sean Spicer seemed to answer that question when asked by Greta Van Susteren about the decision to boycott the event, saying, “The relationship [with the press] and the coverage we have gotten, I don’t think we should fake it.”

Photo courtesy Haddad Media.

“I don’t think watching a bunch of celebrities walk by is any indication how much you care about and respect the press,” he added.

According to Variety, Kellyanne Conway cited “the unhappiness with the way that the administration has been covered [in the news media] and that it was a ‘two way’ street of responsibility.”

Conway added, “There is a selectivity there also — what do we choose to highlight and allow to recede into the background.”

You can read more about their comments here: http://variety.com/2017/biz/news/kellyanne-conway-criticizes-trump-media-coverage-1202029112/

Pew Study: Americans Believe Trump’s Animosity Toward Press Hurts Political Journalism

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Photo courtesy of Pixabay / Geralt.

The animosity toward the media by the President and White House administration is negatively affecting most Americans’ access to accurate political news, according to a Pew Research Study.

More than 80 percent of respondents to the study said the relationship between Donald Trump and the press was unhealthy. This measurement was largely bipartisan, with 78 percent of Republicans agreeing, and 88 percent of Democrats. This belief was also consistent across race, gender, education level and age.

Additionally, 94 percent of respondents said they are familiar with the current relationship between the Trump administration and mainstream journalism. What they know is not comforting: overwhelming majorities say the relationship is unhealthy and that ongoing animosity is hindering America’s access to important political news.

The Pew study was conducted over the phone with 4,151 Americans between March 13 and March 27. Pew did not inquire respondents about how the tension should be resolved.

Trump Impersonator Atamanuik to Host “The President Show” on Comedy Central

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Photo courtesy Pixabay.

Anthony Atamanuik has been called “the nation’s best Donald Trump impersonator.” His portfolio is expanding as the comedian announced he will bring his character to television as the host of “The President Show,” a new weekly program on Comedy Central.

“Laughing at the President is a proud American tradition and we hope not to disappoint anyone in that department,” Atamanuik said. “I’d just like to thank Comedy Central for giving us this platform to speak truth to power and if we’re lucky, end up in prison!”

The President Show will be a late-night show hosted by Atamanuik in character as Trump broadcasting “direct” from the Oval Office. It will feature “best guests, the most beautiful women, it’ll be so funny; the most funny show,” Atamanuik stated.

The show is executive produced by Atamanuik, along with Peter Grosz, Adam Pally, Jason Ross, and 3 Arts Entertainment’s Olivia Gerke, Greg Walter and Josh Lieberman. The series will be directed by Andre Allen and produced by Clone Wolf Productions.

MSNBC Announces White House Correspondents’ Dinner After-Party

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Photo courtesy Wikipedia.

MSNBC will be holding an after-party at the Organization of American States immediately following the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner.

Unlike other organizations and outlets that have opted not to hold celebrations surrounding the annual dinner, MSNBC has chosen to move forward with its annual tradition.

“This evening has always been a celebration of the First Amendment and developing the next generation of correspondents,” an NBC spokesperson said. “In that spirit, we’ve historically supported deserving organizations, and will do so again this year through a donation to the National Press Club’s Scholarship for Journalism Diversity.”

The New Yorker and The Hill have opted not to host events during the weekend of the Correspondents’ Association dinner this year. Vanity Fair and Bloomberg have also announced they will not host their annual after-party.

In February, President Trump announced on Twitter that he would not attend the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, the first time a sitting president was not in attendance since 1981 when Ronald Reagan recovered from an assassination attempt. Last month, the White House announced no staff would attend, in “solidarity” with the president.

“The WHCA board regrets this decision very much.  We have worked hard to build a constructive relationship with the Trump White House and believe strongly that this goal is possible even with the natural tension between the press and administrations that is a hallmark of a healthy republic,” WHCA president Jeff Mason said in a statement.

The White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner will be held on April 29th at the Washington Hilton. Proceeds from the event will go toward scholarships for upcoming journalist students.

No White House Staff Will Attend Correspondents’ Dinner

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Correspondents’ Dinner place setting. Photo courtesy Haddad Media.

There will be no representative from the White House at this year’s White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner. The Trump administration announced late Tuesday that White House staff will not attend this year’s Dinner out of “solidarity” with the president.

WHCA president Jeff Mason of Reuters sent a letter to the organization stating that “[t]he White House informed the White House Correspondents’ Association this evening that White House staff will not be attending this year’s White House Correspondents’ Dinner out of ‘solidarity’ with President Trump, who has previously announced that he would skip the event.”

The president announced on Twitter in February that he would not attend the annual dinner. But various White House figures had been rumored to be planning on attending, such as Vice President Mike Pence, Chief of Staff Reince Priebus, and Press Secretary Sean Spicer.

“Only the White House can speak to the signal it wants to send with this decision, but our signal is clear,” wrote Mason. “We will celebrate the First Amendment on April 29 and look forward to acknowledging the important work of our terrific members and awarding scholarships to students who represent the next generation of our profession.”

The White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner will be held on April 29 at the Washington Hilton. Proceeds for the event go toward scholarships for exceptional students in journalism.

White House Correspondents Say Spicer Turning Daily Briefings into Chaotic Shouting Matches

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James Brady Press Briefing Room, 2007. Photo courtesy Wikipedia.

Long-time reporters covering the White House have complained that the Trump administration is purposefully utilizing inexperienced conservative bloggers to reduce press secretary Sean Spicer’s daily briefings to little more than chaotic shouting matches.

CBS News White House correspondent Major Garrett said the inclusion of right-wing bloggers has reduced the quality of questions during daily briefings.

“[Mainstream, experienced journalists] ask questions that are sharper, more informed.  Not ‘What’s your message today?’… not ‘Here’s a paintbrush; would you paint us a pretty picture?,” Garrett said in an interview with The New Yorker.

Another television journalist, declining to speak on the record, said the current situation does little more than inject chaos into the briefings.

“Maybe you’ll get a question, if you should loud enough.  Who knows?… [The inclusion of bloggers] makes everyone desperate and competitive and makes us look like a bunch of braying jackals.  Which I don’t think is an accident.”

Most conservative bloggers, newly included in the daily briefings by the Trump administration, are under 30 years old and have never worked for a “mainstream” or outlet, instead working for pro-Trump blogs.

The television reporter continued, “At what point does it start to delegitimize the whole idea of what happens in that room?  When does it cross the line into pure trolling?”

President Trump Calls Media “Rude” Following Conway Interviews

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Photo courtesy of Pixabay / Edar.

President Donald Trump tweeted Monday that journalists and news outlets have been rude toward administration officials. He said if journalists begin treating administration officials nicely, “you will do much better.”

While not referencing any specific interview or story in his tweet, the president’s reaction follows several interviews conducted by presidential advisor Kellyanne Conway Monday morning.

George Stephanopoulos asked Conway on ABC’s “Good Morning America” to explain her statements Sunday to the Bergen Record suggesting President Obama had used household electronics such as smart phones and televisions to spy on Trump. Conway said she had no evidence to back up her claims, but was speaking broadly about surveillance, not specifically toward any allegation against Obama.

Facing a similar line of inquiry on CNN’s “New Day” – which has largely been boycotted by the administration in recent weeks – Conway said proving claims was not her responsibility.

“I’m not Inspector Gadget. I don’t believe people are using the microwave to spy on the Trump campaign. However, I’m not in the job of having evidence. That’s what investigations are for,” Conway told CNN host Chris Cuomo.

Conway also faced inquiry about her statements on NBC’s “Today” show. Host Savannah Guthrie asked Conway, “can I stop you right there? The media did not bring up this topic. President Trump did.” Conway responded saying the media was focused too much on wiretapping accusations and not on other issues “that the American people want to hear about.”

President Trump Still Welcome to Attend White House Correspondents’ Dinner

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Correspondents’ Dinner place setting. Photo courtesy Haddad Media.

The White House Correspondents’ Association is keeping open the possibility that President Donald Trump may appear at the annual White House Correspondents’ Dinner in April. The president announced last month on Twitter that he would not attend.

“If President Trump changes his mind, he is welcome to attend the dinner,” said association President Jeff Mason of Reuters.

There have been no announcements yet on who would be at the head table if Trump does not attend. Traditionally, members of the WHCA board sit on stage, joined by the president, first lady, vice president, White House press secretary and entertainment.

President Trump has attended events in the past where he had declined invitations, such as a post-election interview with the New York Times.

C-SPAN political editor and former WHCA president Steve Scully commented on this possibility. “President Trump is the master showman so he may decide to attend at the last minute, but I doubt it.”

The president has attended every White House Correspondents’ Dinner since 1981, when Ronald Reagan missed as he was recovering from an assassination attempt. Reagan called the dinner and addressed the crowd over the phone. Jimmy Carter was the last president to decline an invitation to the annual dinner.

The Association Dinner will be held on April 29. Proceeds from the event go toward scholarships for emerging journalism students.