The White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA) has cancelled the comedian scheduled to perform at its annual dinner in late April, amidst increasing pressure from President Donald Trump on the media.
Amber Ruffin, the comedian, stated on The Daily Beast Podcast that she refused to make jokes about both sides of the political spectrum, as requested by WHCA. She later criticised the Trump administration, calling its members “a bunch of murderers” and said that treating them as human beings would be unwarranted.
A White House spokesperson, Taylor Budowich, labelled Ruffin a “second-rate comedian” on the social network X. Budowich also criticised Ruffin’s attendance at the dinner.
Traditionally, a comedian is invited to the dinner to roast the sitting president, regardless of party affiliation. However, WHCA President Eugene Daniels announced that there will be no comedian performing this year. He stated that the unanimous decision aims to focus on celebrating the exceptional work of journalists rather than engaging in divisive politics.
The tension between Trump, his supporters, and the media has been escalating. A month after Trump took office, the White House decided that WHCA would no longer determine which members could cover presidential events, a role WHCA had held for nearly a century. The White House now decides which media outlets have access.
WHCA is an independent organisation representing accredited journalists who cover the president in the Oval Office and the Air Force One.
Since February, the White House has also barred journalists from the Associated Press (AP) from accessing the Oval Office and Air Force One due to AP’s refusal to call the Gulf of Mexico the ‘Gulf of America,’ as Trump prefers.
In response, AP filed a complaint against three White House officials, invoking the First Amendment of the US Constitution, which protects freedom of speech and the press.
