Trump skipping White House Correspondents Dinner

[EnglishPete]

Wow. I genuinely thought he had the guts to go. Won't make that mistake again.

I don't think that its a question of not having the guts to go. I think its a question of not having any motivation to go.

If you were invited to attend a dinner organised by a group of people who you didn't particularly like and who didn't particularly like you would you attend? What possible motivation would you have for attending?

Previous Presidents have attended in order to demonstrate both to the WHCA and to the world that beneath the surface confrontation they really get on with the 'mainstream' press. For 35 years they have accepted with good humour the gentle mockery of the comedian making the 'roast' as part of the same demonstration. President Trump has absolutely no motivation whatsoever to make such a demonstration, quite the reverse. Therefore he has absolutely no reason to go.

[EnglishPete]

Good. WHCA Dinner should be abolished, IMO. It's a ridiculous tradition

[EnglishPete]

Well I see President Snowflake is too scared of all the criticism he'll get. Makes sense.

Not a question of being scared is it. Its a question of having no motive to attend. I'm sure the WHCA would love him to attend, it would bring more of the spotlight on them. But what possible motivation would he have to attend? When people use the 'ohh, you to scared to show up/take part/debate me etc' line its usually a lame attempt to give someone a motivation for doing something they otherwise have no reason to do.

[EnglishPete]

BennyVerified account‏@bennyjohnson  7h7 hours ago
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 At Trump hotel. Secret Service swarms the place. Trump walks in, sits down next to me w/ Gov. Rick Scott, Nigel Farage, Ivanka & Kuchner

BennyVerified account‏@bennyjohnson  7h7 hours ago
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 Two things:
1. Farage was not invited to this dinner. Squeezed in at last second
2. Sec. State Tillerson is dining  w/wife alone across room

BennyVerified account‏@bennyjohnson  7h7 hours ago
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 I asked Trump if he would be attending the White House Correspondents Dinner.
He said: "No. Do you like that?"
People cheered behind me.

[EnglishPete]

What is so bad about the WHCD Dinners? It's about celebrating journalism and journalistic ethics. Is that bad these days despite Trump's war vs. the media?

it's not about that. it's about celebrating how chummy the relationship between the media and the politicians are. That's unacceptable.

Exactly. That's exactly why Trump has absolutely no motivation to go. He doesn't haven't a cosy relationship with the liberal establishment media. Furthermore he has no motive to pretend that he does, either to the WHCA themselves or to the public. His entire PR strategy is based around discrediting the highly biased and ideologically driven liberal corporate media.

Saying that Trump isn't showing up to the WHCA dinner because he's "scared" is like saying that Obama never showed up to CPAC because he was scared. Obama wasn't 'scared' of going to CPAC, its just that he had absolutely no motivation to attend. Likewise President Trump and the WHCA dinner.

[EnglishPete]

[EnglishPete]

Who cares? The WHCD is just a night to make elitist journalists feel like they're important, although it was always fun to watch Bush and Obama.

those guys got humour.

i hated bush at that time like nothing on earth but he is obviously someone who can take a joke.

Trump clearly has a sense of humour. Have you seen his twitter channel? A recent example

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Trump is a truly brilliant troll with a wonderful dry sense of humour that he uses not only on social media but in TV appearances as well (memorably he used this to great effect in the Primary debates).