The White House Correspondents’ Association has dropped plans to feature a comedian at its April 26 dinner.
Amber Ruffin had been announced as the featured entertainer.
WHCA President Eugene Daniels wrote in a letter to members today that “the WHCA board has unanimously decided we are no longer featuring a comedic performance this year. At this consequential moment for journalism, I want to ensure the focus is not on the politics of division but entirely on awarding our colleagues for their outstanding work and providing scholarship and mentorship to the next generation of journalists.”
The White House has been critical of the choice of Ruffin, citing her past humor at the expense of Donald Trump. Trump is not expected to attend, and there are reports that his supporters are planning a competing event.
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On Friday, White House Deputy Chief of Staff Taylor Budowich posted a Ruffin Daily Beast podcast appearance in which she was asked about who would be in attendance and whether members of the Trump administration would be there.
“It’s bonkers that we are still acting like thing are normal,” Ruffin said in the clip, while indicating that she would not engage in a kind of “both sides” humor.
Budowich wrote, “This year’s @whca dinner will be hosted by a 2nd rate comedian who is previewing the event by calling this administration ‘murderers’ who want to ‘feel like human beings, but they shouldn’t get to feel that way, because you’re not.’”
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