No president and no comic roast! This year's Correspondents' Dinner at the White House during the first year of Trump's second presidency was a lot more subdued than past events.
- April 27, 2025
AceShowbiz - The glitz and glamour of the White House Correspondents' Dinner, often dubbed "nerd prom," took a backseat this year as the focus shifted to lauding journalistic excellence amid a tumultuous political landscape.
Held at the Washington Hilton, the 2025 edition of this storied event saw neither President Donald Trump nor a comic roast, a staple in past dinners. The dinner originally featured comedienne Amber Ruffin before she was dropped in March.
Eugene Daniels, president of the White House Correspondents' Association (WHCA), emphasized the event's core mission: recognizing exceptional journalistic work and supporting the next generation through scholarships and mentorship.
"Every year we invite the president to this dinner. For decades, presidents on both sides of the political spectrum get gussied up and join us. I want to be clear about something, we don't invite presidents of the United States to this because it's for them," Daniels addressed.
"We don't invite them because we want to cozy up to them or curry favor. We don't only extend invites to the presidents who say they love journalists or who say they are defenders of the First Amendment in a free press," he highlighted the strained relationship between Trump and the press. "We invite them to remind them that they should be."
Despite the absence of Hollywood's usual heavy hitters, notable celebrities such as Jason Isaacs, Lynda Carter, Alex Borstein, and Dean Norris graced the red carpet, rubbing shoulders with media figures like CNN's Jake Tapper and ABC News's Juju Chang.
The evening's major highlight was the conferring of prestigious journalism awards, each accompanied by a $2,500 prize, celebrating stellar reporting and dedication to truth-telling.
Among the award recipients was ABC News' Rachel Scott, recognized for her breaking news coverage of an assassination attempt on Trump during his Pennsylvania campaign. The Aldo Beckman Award for Overall Excellence went to Alex Thompson of Axios for his detailed reporting on Joe Biden's challenges leading up to the significant June debate against Trump.
As the night concluded, Daniels reflected on the WHCA's century-old mission of upholding the truth and accountability. "Our responsibility is not to align with any one party or any one agenda, but to serve the people of this country with integrity and dedication," he declared, passing the WHCA presidency to CBS News' Weijia Jiang.
