WH Press Secretary not attending WHCA dinner
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt is not exactly getting along with the media during her tenure as Trump’s primary spokesperson.
To that point, she recently announced that she would not be attending the White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA) dinner in April.
Failed to grasp
This feud erupted almost from the first day that Leavitt was introduced, but over the last few weeks, it has really heated up.
I am going to go back just a few days when Leavitt really got into it over comments made by the Associated Press’ Josh Boak.
Boak had previously challenged Leavitt on Trump’s tariff strategy, claiming that the tariffs were essentially tax hikes against the American people. Leavitt responded, "He is actually not implementing tax hikes. Tariffs are a tax hike on foreign countries that, again, have been ripping us off. Tariffs are a tax cut for the American people, and the president is a staunch advocate of tax cuts."
When appearing on Fox News this Sunday, she added, "He [Boak] clearly fails to see President Trump's long-term economic strategy, which is to bring in so much revenue, so much wealth into our country through tariffs, that we can give larger tax cuts to the American people to put more money back into their pockets.”
The Entertainment
Comedian Amber Ruffin will headline this year’s event, and it goes without saying she will be targeting Trump and his officials, and Leavitt would clearly have a target on her head at this event.
Eugene Daniels, president of the association and POLITICO’s chief Playbook correspondent, was excited to have her atop the bill, stating, “When I began to think about what entertainer would be a perfect fit for the dinner this year, Amber was immediately at the top of my list.”
He later added, “Amber’s unique talents are the ideal fit for this current political and cultural climate. Her perspective will fit right in with the dinner’s tradition of honoring the freedom of the press while roasting the most powerful people on all sides of the aisle and the journalists who cover them.” Translation: she is a liberal hack who will target Republicans.
To give you an idea of what you can expect from her, she also writes for late-night host Seth Meyers as well as writing for a comedy on CNN called “Have I Got News for You.” Honestly, I don’t blame Leavitt for not going.
I Am Going to Pass
Leavitt and the WHCA are also at war over access to the briefing room, so it was no surprise to see her announce that she would not be attending.
She confirmed the reports on Sean Spicer’s podcast, stating, "I will not be in attendance at the White House Correspondents' Dinner, and that's breaking news for ‘The Sean Spicer Show.’"
She did not hold back her contempt for the media, adding, "This is a group of journalists who’ve been covering the White House for decades. They started this organization because the presidents at the time were not doing enough press conferences. I don’t think we have that problem anymore under this president, so the priorities of the media have shifted, especially with this new digital age."
Since Leavitt has been calling the shots, the rotation has included more alt-media outlets, much to the chagrin of the mainstream media. I love the idea of having these outlets in there, but the verdict is still out on tossing mainstream media news agencies that most American people rely upon. And yes, I realize many of them are twisting the news, but my fear is this will only make the attacks worse against Trump, creating more negative coverage for him.
