White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki reminded reporters that, unlike Trump, Biden is attending the White House Correspondents Dinner because he supports press freedom.
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Psaki said:
He wants to attend in a safe way the White House Correspondents Dinner to show his support. Showcase his support for the free press. For the work of all of you. For the work of your colleagues around the world. To not only share accurate information about COVID but also report on the war in Ukraine. And all the work that happens every single day. That does stand in stark contrast to his predecessor who not only questioned the legitimacy of the press on a daily basis but also never attended the dinner, I don’t believe.
So he felt that was important and made a risk assessment to do that in consultation with his doctors and health care team. I would note that we also take additional precautions and steps. I would expect that he may wear a mask when he’s not speaking. I’ll wear a mask when I am at the dinner, and on we also took steps, he’s not attending for the eating portion and will be there for the program which includes a number of speakers.
The presentation of scholarships, as you know, and his speaking and his roasting where he will be on the menu, as he likes to say when Trevor Noah is speaking. Just like anything, it’s a risk assessment and decision he made on a personal basis.
Reporters need to realize that while some of them pine for Trump and obsess about the Trump presidency, President Joe Biden will show up and support press freedom.
Trump was too thin-skinned to sit there and be roasted as president. Trump did come to one WHCD as a guest when Obama was president, but he couldn’t handle being roasted by Barack Obama, so when he became president, he never attended again.
Mr. Easley is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
