The annual White House Correspondents’ Dinner has long been used to gather many of America’s top leaders and minds for a night of casual drinks and laughs. So far during his tenure, President Donald Trump has chosen to skip the event, which features skits roasting the President. At the same time, the once light-hearted jokes have been increasingly vulgar and biting.
Comedian Michelle Wolf took her skit to a whole new level this year, launching into a comedic diatribe that some, including the President, have found offensive. Besides going after Trump, Wolf also targeted other high-ranking government officials, including White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who was in attendance.
Presidents always get winged during the correspondent dinners. Presidents Obama, Bush, and Clinton, among others, had to sit through comedic roasts at these events. Regardless, there is generally a high-level of decorum at the event. Sensitive issues are normally skipped, and comedians try to make the President laugh as much as the audience.
Wolf’s comedic routine did away with the decorum. While many of her comments were clearly written to drum up laughs, some were straight insults: “Trump is racist. He loves white nationalists, which is a funny term for a Nazi, it’s like calling a pedophile a kid-friend or Harvey Weinstein a lady’s man.”
Wolf opened her act with a targeted zinger: “Like a porn star says when she’s about to have sex with a Trump, let’s get it over with. You know he’s not any good.”
The joke was clearly in reference to the on-going Stormy Daniels scandal, where President Trump has been accused of sleeping with and paying off the porn star. Noting the President’s lack of attendance and his secretly taped remarks to TV host Billy Bush, Wolf commented: “I would drag him here myself, but it turns out that the president of the United States is the one p***y you’re not allowed to grab.”
Outside of sex jokes, Wolf also targeted President Trump’s business ventures, family, and the on-going Russian investigation. She used a “call and respond” with the audience to list off many “Trump is so broke” remarks, including: He has to fly failed business class;” “He looked for foreign oil in Don Jr’s hair;” “Southwest used him as one of their engines;” and, “He had to borrow money from the Russians and now he’s compromised.”
Ivanka Trump also got winged, with Wolf comparing her usefulness to an empty box of tampons. Regarding Huckabee Sanders, Wolf accused the Press Secretary of being a liar. “I’m never really sure what to call Sarah Huckabee Sanders. Is it Sarah Sanders, is it Sarah Huckabee Sanders, is it Cousin Huckabee, is it Aunt Huckabee Sanders?” Wolf said, continuing, “What’s Uncle Tom but for white women who disappoint other white women? Ah, Know, Aunt Coulter.”
Some are calling for the White House Correspondents’ Association to apologize. While the Association has said that the comedian’s performance does not necessarily reflect the views of the organization, it has thus far refused to apologize.
Per usual, President Trump took to Twitter to denounce the Correspondents’ Dinner:
The White House Correspondents’ Dinner was a failure last year, but this year was an embarrassment to everyone associated with it. The filthy “comedian” totally bombed (couldn’t even deliver her lines-much like the Seth Meyers weak performance). Put Dinner to rest, or start over!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 30, 2018
Arguably, the last time a Correspondents’ Dinner comedic routine was so controversial was during Stephen Colbert’s skit under the George W. Bush administration. Colbert delved into the Iraq War and other sensitive issues. Then President Barack Obama got on stage at the 2011 Correspondents’ Dinner and roasted Donald Trump, who was in attendance. Many believe that the fateful insults were part of Trump’s inspiration to run for President in 2016.
