White House Correspondents’ Association cancels plans to have a comedian headline annual dinner | CNN Business
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The White House Correspondents’ Association is reversing course and canceling its plans to have comedian Amber Ruffin headline this year’s annual fundraising dinner in Washington, DC.

Summary

The White House Correspondents’ Association canceled comedian Amber Ruffin’s headlining appearance at its annual fundraising dinner.

The decision follows concerns over Ruffin’s anti-Trump comments and growing tensions with the Trump White House, which has restricted press access and pool assignments.

The association’s board voted unanimously for the change, seeking to avoid political division.

This shift mirrors its 2019 approach, when historian Ron Chernow spoke instead of a comedian amid similar Trump-era scrutiny.

  • wellheh@lemmy.sdf.org
    0·
    22 days ago

    Remember when they had Stephen Colbert roast GW during the dinner? That was peak comedy. These guys are such losers they know Trump won’t be able to handle being roasted, and somehow that’s OK for a world leader.

    • ChickenLadyLovesLife@lemmy.worldEnglish
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      22 days ago

      Remember when they had Stephen Colbert roast GW during the dinner? That was peak comedy.

      The best part is that they only invited Colbert because they didn’t realize his character on The Colbert Report was a parody of right-wing pundits.

  • Null User Object@lemmy.world
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    23 days ago

    The news media is not supposed to be friendly with those in power, no matter who is in power. They’re supposed to be a pain in the ass of the president (every president). They’re supposed to be the Fourth Estate! They’re supposed to be part of the checks and balances. It’s always irked me that they do this correspondent’s dinner and get all buddy buddy with the Whitehouse.

    • Zaktor@sopuli.xyzEnglish
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      23 days ago

      Yeah, the whole thing is a just an embarrassing demonstration of how it’s just a big social club rather than a relationship where they should be naturally antagonistic.

  • PurpleSkull@lemm.eeEnglish
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    23 days ago

    I support that decision. What kind of jokes could a comedian make about all of this? About the resurgence of an autocratic state on the ruins of one of the first modern democracies?

    Maybe a conservative, MAGA comedian could do it. But those don’t exist. Ask yourself why.

    • 3xBork@lemmy.world
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      23 days ago

      They exist. They’re just not recognized as comedians by those not in the cult because normal people don’t see kicking down as humor.

        • Otter@lemm.eeEnglish
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          23 days ago

          Sure, just giving you a MAGA conservative comedian. He has a massive and loyal fan base regardless of either of our opinions on him.

          • cyphear@lemm.eeEnglish
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            23 days ago

            If only George Carlin were still around. I bet he’d have a few words to say about all of this…

            • Otter@lemm.eeEnglish
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              22 days ago

              Bill Burr is probably the closest we’ve got today but his approach isn’t as sophisticated as Carlin’s was.

  • Mustakrakish@lemmy.world
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    22 days ago

    Lmao “seeking to avoid political division”. No you’re avoiding dissonance. The GOP MO is to stoke political division, it’s literally what gives them power.

    Also “anti-trump” comments instead of just calling them concerns or critiques.

    Language like this is how consent is manufacturered. Language is powerful at subtly shift how one percieves a situation, and leading people to a predetermined conclusion.

    • orbituary@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
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      23 days ago

      Centrists are weak, feckless cowards who shift their position to accommodate each side. Pick a lane, assholes. We have a humanity to save.

    • AmidFuror@fedia.io
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      23 days ago

      It’s authoritarians (fascists, progressives) vs. Political moderates (liberals, centrists). Just because the authoritarians are in two camps doesn’t make one good.

      • NotSteve_@lemmy.ca
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        23 days ago

        Man what? Your Democrat party is basically right wing for the rest of the west. Are you saying every other countries’ left leaning parties are authoritarian? Canada’s Liberal party would be more progressive than the Democratic Party and they’re not even our most progressive party…

        What you’re saying is the most ignorant, America-brained political take I’ve seen recently

        • AmidFuror@fedia.io
          0·
          23 days ago

          I’m using hyperbole to mock the “centrists are fascists” mentality rampant in these parts of the Fediverse. The Republican party from the 1980s wasn’t even fascist.

          • NotSteve_@lemmy.ca
            0·
            23 days ago

            For sure and I wouldn’t call 1980s centrists fascists but at this point the US Overton window has shifted so far to the right that it’s hard to forgive anyone still in the middle. Like you have one party that’s brought on a billionaire to dismantle the government, threatening annexation of a number of sovereign nations, detaining people (not even convicted of any crimes) in brutal, torturous ways, and a million other horrid things; and then you have the other party that just kind of wants to keep things the status-quo.

            If the former party is fascism and the latter is (sane) liberal conservatism, what would you call someone in the centre of that? Looking in from outside the US, I don’t see much of a difference between proponents of the fascism and the centrists. Like if I hear someone “in the centre” say “hmm well maybe Trump is right, we should invade Canada/Greenland/Panama”, I’m going to rightfully call them a fascist.

            Important note: I wouldn’t say this applies to other countries where the Overton window isn’t so insanely far to the right

            • AmidFuror@fedia.io
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              23 days ago

              I would say the centrists are the Republicans who left the party over Trump, and the right-leqning Democrats. They exist. And they’re not fascists.

              • NotSteve_@lemmy.ca
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                23 days ago

                the centrists are the Republicans who left the party over Trump, and the right-leqning Democrats

                ಠ_ಠ

                • floofloof@lemmy.ca
                  0·
                  23 days ago

                  They’re centrists! They’re bang in the middle between pretty far right and very far right!

      • ImADifferentBird@lemmy.blahaj.zoneEnglish
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        23 days ago

        Anyone who can look at what’s happening right now and say “BUT PROGRESSIVES ARE JUST AS BAD” is either a fascist or a useful idiot for the fascists.

  • mostNONheinous@lemmy.worldEnglish
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    23 days ago

    Absolute PUSSY.

    Whoever downvoted, you’re wrong but at least you deprived me of literally nothing in the name of the biggest pussy on the planet. There is not a chance in hell that this was handed down by the board, this was handed down by a man who can’t take a fucking joke even when he is (MAYBE) the most powerful man on the planet, that is the definition of a giant PUSSY.

  • rosco385@lemm.eeEnglish
    0·
    23 days ago

    Seth Meyers’ jokes at Trump’s expense during the 2011 White House Correspondents dinner have been identified by those close to Trump as the moment he decided to seriously run for President.

    Seth Meyers made this problem, it’s up to him to fix it. Bonus points if he gets Trump to quit using only jokes.

  • BossDj@lemm.ee
    0·
    23 days ago

    Wasn’t it a correspondence dinner that is considered to be the day he decided to run for president because he was on the verge of tears being made fun of

  • LupusBlackfur@lemmy.world
    0·
    23 days ago

    Once again demonstrating their collective cowardice…

    Obeying in advance. Can’t risk upsetting Don Mangolini. The Mafia Admin wins again.

    🙄 🙄