Author: Jennifer Harper / Source: The Washington Times
There are still pre-parties and after-parties. A few scarce celebrities like Jay Leno plan to show up, while a noted historian will be the star of the program.
A swanky hotel is poised to accommodate several thousand diners in formal wear. But oh, the drama, trauma and angst. Much coverage of the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner on Saturday night mourns the loss of the glitz and glamour which has been trademark of the annual gathering in recent years — mostly blaming it on President Trump’s decision not to attend for the third year in a row.He will be at a preferred event: a jumbo campaign-style rally in Green Bay, Wisconsin, which is so popular that the Wisconsin Republican Party reports they are getting calls from hopeful Trump fans in Michigan, Iowa, Minnesota and Illinois — all scrambling to seek entry. Mr. Trump says the rally will be a positive and uplifting occasion.
The press, however, appears melancholy. Or something. Here’s just a few sample headlines from recent days:
“How Trump took the shine off Washington’s glitziest night” (Politico); “Why Trump loves to hate the White House Correspondents’ Dinner” (CNN); “The decline and fall of the White House Correspondents’ Dinner” (The Washington Examiner); and “How the White House correspondents’ dinner lost its sense of humor” (The Washington Post).
Some will have none of this hand-wringing, though.
Fox News late-night host Greg Gutfeld was not happy with CNN analyst Brian Stelter, who publicly criticized the president for not attending the “useful” dinner, saying in a recent broadcast that “we’re seeing this administration’s attack against the media. It takes many forms.”“So now, skipping a dinner is an attack on the media?” countered Mr. Gutfeld in an op-ed for his network, calling the meal itself an “orgy of self-congratulation,” among other things.
“Some will say Trump’s a coward for avoiding this clown show. That’s not cowardice. It’s common sense,” Mr. Gutfeld wrote, and he had a observation about the disappointed press itself.
“By skipping the dinner, Trump has stripped away the novelty that turned the original charity event into a thirst-fest for spotlight-chasing lollipops. He made it great again. It’s about journalism. No wonder they’re miserable,” Mr. Gutfeld concluded.
NRA CONVENTION: A BODACIOUS EVENT
Meanwhile, there does not appear to be much angst at the National Rifle Association’s 148th annual convention, which begins Friday in Indianapolis — and yes, both President Trump and Vice President Mike Pence will address this mammoth assembly.
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