I watched the White House Correspondents’ Association awards on C-SPAN. It took place on April 26, and I viewed it two days later. It occurred to me that FOTUS should have attended the WHCA dinner this year because he will likely never be so kindly treated in the next three years.
Here are some of the award winners:
OVERALL EXCELLENCE: Alex Thompson, Axios. “Thompson’s aggressive reporting on Biden, especially leading up to and after the Trump-Biden debate, revealed that the president’s cognitive decline was impacting his ability to do his job, information the White House tried to conceal.” Thompson said in his brief speech that he and his colleagues initially missed the story.
EXCELLENCE UNDER DEADLINE PRESSURE, print: Aamer Madhani and Zeke Miller, The Associated Press. “Madhani and Miller caught the White House press office trying to alter the official account of history — the White House transcript of Biden’s use of the word ‘garbage’ to describe supporters of Donald Trump. On deadline, Madhani and Miller captured the conflict between federal workers who document the president’s words for posterity and political appointees trying to protect their boss.”
EXCELLENCE UNDER DEADLINE PRESSURE, broadcast: Rachel Scott, ABC News. “Scott’s reporting in the chaotic aftermath of the assassination attempt on Donald Trump was unflappable and authoritative. When the Secret Service tried to clear the area, Scott stood her ground and provided confirmed verifiable facts as well as eye-witness accounts of the shooting amid the mayhem after the shooting.”
JRB, Jr.
EXCELLENCE BY VISUAL JOURNALISTS: Doug Mills, The New York Times. “A somber President Joe Biden — then wrestling with historic challenges, from international crises to domestic calls for him to end his re-election campaign — is centered in the image yet surrounded and visually almost overwhelmed by the physical infrastructure and historic weight of the White House.”
Examples of the reportage are included.
I’m sure FOTUS would have wallowed in the Biden administration being seen in a less-than-favorable light. The awards were announced at the beginning of April.
UNLESS FOTUS’ handlers were afraid he would make an unhinged fool of himself at the dinner, as he did in recent interviews. The one with ABC News’ Terry Moran – see the Daily Show segment – shows his ignorance about the Monroe Doctrine and the Declaration of Independence.
FOTUS told NBC News’ Kristen Welker ‘I don’t know’ when asked if he must uphold the Constitution. Naturally, Red State defends him: “Of course, the president’s answer was more nuanced than they imply, and he explicitly said he would adhere to rulings by the Supreme Court.” Nuance? But the specific question is simple because he swore to uphold said Constitution. TWICE.
In April 2026, they’ll be evaluating coverage of the 2025 White House. Instead of FOTUS, they showed clips of Presidents from Reagan to Biden. But not 45, who eschewed the event thrice, and the fourth year was COVID.
Not the enemy
White House Correspondent Association President Eugene Daniels spoke about the press, saying, “We journalists are a lot of things. We are competitive and pushy, we are impatient, and sometimes we think we know everything. But we’re also human. We miss our families and significant life moments in service to this job. We care deeply about accuracy and take seriously the heavy responsibility of being stewards of the public’s trust.
“What we are not is the opposition, what we are not is the enemy of the people, and what we are not is the enemy of the state.”
If you have a strong desire to watch the event, go here. Or you can spend $20.26 and view NOT The White House Correspondents’ Dinner, recorded the same day and available until June 30.