Oh, I know. Aunt Coulter. A smattering of applause broke out at the jokes; there were a few gasps. Most of all, though, there was an enormous ballroom made silent by the power of awkwardness. She was addressing a ballroom full of black-tied grimace emojis, essentially, and the awkwardness of it all—the tension of it all—was the point. She was the one, in her own way, holding power to account. During a time of anxiety about the fate of essential democratic norms, the dinner has served, in its awkward way, as evidence on the other side: as a reminder that some of those norms, particularly when they involve cocktail parties, can in fact have a remarkable staying power.
The current president—who might well, the lore goes, have decided to run for the office after being mocked by his predecessor at the WHCD —has for two years declined to attend the dinner. And yet the dinner carries on, expanded and expended, trying to answer that most loaded of questions: What does it mean to both hold power and, at the same time, to be charged with holding power to account? On Saturday evening, in the International Ballroom of the Hilton, that question got an uncomfortable answer.
Which was: Ask again later. There were also roasted-beet salads with honeyed goat cheese, and dessert trays panna cotta, cheesecake, tartlets featuring raspberries, strawberries, and blueberries that formed a pretty assemblage of reds, whites, and blues. There were dinner plates featuring both monkfish and filets of beef: the surf and the turf, the this and the that , entrees suggesting that, despite the evidence to the contrary, it is possible to have it both ways.
There was Aya Hijazi, an Egyptian American social activist who was imprisoned for nearly three years for those activities, speaking passionately, via a prerecorded video, about her ordeal—and the journalistic work that led to her liberation. There were journalism awards presented to reporters who cover the White House.
But this year fewer stars will be turning up and several after-parties have been canceled which had previously attracted A-list celebrities to attend. The president delivers the initial, joke-filled speech, followed by the keynote roast by a famous comedian. In its first half century, the evening's entertainment was musical performances, movies and variety shows. The dinner also serves to honor young and veteran journalists alike with scholarships and awards.
The proceeds from the lofty ticket prices for the event go toward funding these accolades. Although every president since President Coolidge has attended the WHCD at least once during his presidential term, there are other instances of presidents ditching the dinner - sometimes because of strained relations with the press. President Jimmy Carter also declined attending two out of the four dinners held during his presidency.
Still recovering from a bullet wound he suffered during an assassination attempt, President Ronald Reagan missed the dinner in But he still phoned in from Camp David, with a good sense of humor.
Acclaimed journalists Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein are also slated to speak and present awards. We'll notify you here with news about. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? Comments 0.
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