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His voters sent him to Washington to break stuff, and this weekend Donald Trump tried to break the annual dinner of the White House Correspondents Association. As with some of his business ventures, he was not wholly successful.

Theyre trapped at the dinner, the president boomed at a rally in Harrisburg, Pa., celebrating his first 100 days in office. Which will be very, very boring.

Instead, it was just fine. It happened. Theres an inertia to these Washington traditions, and a determination to soldier on in the face of whatever it is were facing. Everyone survived this weekend without the president, or without the crush of Hollywood celebrities who for years had been decorating the dinner in ever-increasing density, until now.

(Nicki DeMarco/The Washington Post)

It was a bit like an off-year high school reunion: diminished numbers and fewer crazy stories but still no shortage of hors doeuvres and dancing and gossip. Everyone settled for sightings of Michael Steele and Debbie Dingell instead of Jon Hamm or a Kardashian. In past years, virtually the entire cast of Modern Family would come to the dinner; this year, United Talent Agency only secured the kid who plays Luke.

[We are not fake news: At a Trump-free correspondents dinner, White House press has its say.]

This is the way it used to be, way back when, said veteran PR maven Janet Donovan at a Saturday morning brunch held under a white tent at the Georgetown home of hotelier Connie Milstein. This year there was actually room to mingle without toppling a stick-thin starlet. There were no Silicon Valley entrepreneurs monologuing at the bloody mary bar.

Was it only a year ago that Barack Obama dropped the mic, literally, at his final correspondents dinner, as if to put an exclamation point on eight years of media savvy and pop-culture propaganda? He knew his role in this circus. It was Obamas yearly chance to inspire a meme, rib a rival, come off as folksy royalty, remind the public that the media was not the enemy. His cool factor iced out the haters, smudged away red lines, papered over unkept promises. Afterward, the French ambassadors mansion would swell with swells both conservatives and liberals, all buddy-buddy in private, united by the daytime charade they pulled off together on TV.

Things are a bit different now. Trump knows how to entertain but he has developed his own traditions, and it involves relentlessly mocking the media, not laughing with it, not even for a one-night black-tie cease-fire.

A large group of Hollywood actors and Washington media are consoling each other in a hotel ballroom in our nations capital right now, the president told about 7,000 fans at the not-quite-full arena in Harrisburg.

This was only two-thirds true. There were vanishingly few Hollywood actors at the dinner in the basement of the Washington Hilton (Matthew Modine! Alan Ruck!) but the press was indeed settling for a consolation prize. Journalists communed with journalists in a stalwart and tipsy celebration of the First Amendment and, of course, themselves.

The guest list suffered not because Trump sent his regrets but, more likely, because of the chance he might attend; he remains dauntingly unpopular with the New York and Hollywood A-list that he had long aspired to join. The pre-dinner receptions, hosted by outlets such as the Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post, were staid and perfunctory, absent the usual angling for a sighting of a Game of Thrones star.

The thirst for starpower was so intense that the rumor of a Leonardo DiCaprio appearance spread like bird flu. (Yes, he was spotted in town for the Climate March protest earlier in the day, but he was spotted again, hours before the dinner, headed for the next plane out of town.)

Madeleine Albright, in a red gown pinned with a typewriter brooch, ended up being the closest thing to a bona fide star, dominating all the selfies of media-political Washingtons Twitter feed.

Tickets for the occasion, in other words, were unusually within the realm of obtainability.

This is the first time in 20 years Ive found parking in the hotel, said columnist Clarence Page.

I think the guys from the mailroom are here, said one network producer.

[Last years White House Correspondents after-party scene: Its not a party without Joe Biden]

The dinner itself featured a dutiful pep talk by Watergate legends Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein.

Mr. President, the media is not fake news, Woodward said from the dais, and the media elite applauded.

CNN and MSNBC are fake news, Trump said in Pennsylvania, and some of the 97 percent who say theyd still vote for him applauded.

Two worlds, talking past each other, from 100 miles apart. The latest prime-time iteration of POTUS vs. Beltway.

But look! There was one emissary of Trumps inner circle hitting the circuit in Washington, and a Cabinet member at that. On Friday evening, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis mingled under a poolside tent at the home of Atlantic owner David Bradley. On the menu: beef tenderloin and North Koreas latest ballistic missile test.

Some advice to people at dinner, Atlantic editor Jeffrey Goldberg told the crowd as the news of the test spread. If Jim Mattis leaves suddenly, were gonna move the party to the basement.

While Trump headed out of town, his opponents retrenched. Tens of thousands of protesters had clogged Pennsylvania Avenue in the disgusting midday heat to raise alarm about global warming. Comedian Samantha Bee, one of Trumps fiercest critics, staged a rogue event for the younger crowd at DAR Constitution Hall titled Not the White House Correspondents Dinner.

As much as I love poking at the media, Bee said, addressing journalists, I know your job has never been harder: You basically get paid to stand in a cage while a geriatric orangutan gets to scream at you. Its like a reverse zoo.

After Bees event, an elite slice of her audience took over the rooftop of the W Hotel, with its clear view of the snipers atop the White House, and ate brie sliders and creme-brulee doughnuts. Trump is like a flashlight shining into dark corners and all the cockroaches are coming out, said actress Chloe Bennett, of the ABC series Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

[Hasan Minhajs harshest burns at the White House correspondents dinner]

A few poor souls held signs supporting the media outside the Hilton. Keep up the good work, said one. Inside, after Woodward and Bernsteins civics lesson on the free press, Daily Show correspondent Hasan Minhaj did not spare the absentee president in his keynote roast.

The leader of our country is not here, Minhaj said. Thats because he lives in Moscow. Its a very long flight. ... As for the other guy, I think hes in Pennsylvania, because he cant take a joke.

BuzzFeeds party at a U Street bar that reeked of onions and tequila, was not showing the dinner on television. Guests instead guzzled Spicey margaritas with blue curacao and stumbled to Daft Punk and Bruno Mars. No one seemed to be over 40, and no one seemed to care what was happening at the Hilton.

We are not fake news, reiterated Jeff Mason, president of the White House Correspondents Association, as BuzzFeed capitalized on that very epithet by giving away Failing Pile of Garbage T-shirts a reference to a Trump put-down.

[The single best joke told by every president, from Obama to Washington]

As Saturday turned into Sunday, TV journalists and professional pundits began to ascend a grand staircase to the gorgeous salon of the Organization of American States on 17th Street near the Mall. This was NBC and MSNBCs after-party, so the boldfaced names were almost exclusively on-air talent: Dana Bash, Don Lemon, Chris Matthews, Thomas Roberts, Nicolle Wallace. Crystal chandeliers hung over arching palm trees and white-jacketed servers passed iceberg salad bites and tiny takeout boxes of General Tsos chicken.

Back at the Hilton, though, a less-exclusive after-party, sponsored by Thomson-Reuters, was packed to the gills and vibrating with energy, without a single famous face. It was vintage Nerd Prom couples awkwardly dancing to Wham! while juggling their martini glasses. Journalism survived to drink another day, and so did this party, for now anyway.

Staff writers Emily Heil, Elahe Izadi, Maura Judkis, Ellen McCarthy, Lavanya Ramanathan, Roxanne Roberts, Margaret Sullivan and Ben Terris contributed to this report.

Read more from the original source:
The night Donald Trump failed to break the White House correspondents' dinner - Washington Post

President Donald Trump turns to the audience behind him as he finishes speaking at the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex and Expo Center in Harrisburg, Pa., Saturday, April, 29, 2017. CREDIT: AP/Carolyn Kaster

In an interview with Face The Nations John Dickerson that aired Sunday, it appeared that President Donald Trump did not fully understand what was in the latest version of the Republican health care bill.

When Dickerson pushed Trump to acknowledge why there are critics of the bill, noting higher premiums for older people, Trump interrupted him to say that issue was fixed. Throughout the interview, Trump insisted that the latest version of the bill addressed all of the problems Dickerson mentioned, even though the bill has only become worse for low-income people, older people and people with pre-existing conditions.

When Dickerson asked Trump explain to how higher premiums were fixed under the new health care bill, he didnt have an answer.

Finally, after being pressed several times, Trump responded, This bill has evolvedBut we have now pre-existing conditions in the bill. We haveweve set up a pool for the pre-existing conditions so that the premiums can be allowed to fall. Were talking across all of the borders or the lines so that insurance companies can compete.

When Dickerson pointed out there wasnt any mention of purchasing insurance across state lines in the current legislation, Trump said, Of course, its in.

It isnt clear what Trump means when he claims that pre-existing conditions are in the bill. In fact, Republicans gutted protections for people with pre-existing conditions last week. On Tuesday, Republican leaders proposed an amendment to the latest version of the legislation that would raise premiums by thousands of dollars for people with pre-existing conditions and thus make health care unaffordable for many Americans.

Thats why it was so puzzling that Trump insisted pre-existing conditions were covered beautifully.

Journalists and health care experts, such as Andy Slavitt, the former acting administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, all pointed out that the president doesnt seem to be familiar with his partys current plan or how it functions.

Trump quickly tried to pivot away from taking about the GOP-sponsored legislation and back to the current health law. Ill tell you who doesnt cover pre-existing conditions. Obamacare. You know why? Its dead, Trump said.

When Dickerson continued to push Trump to acknowledge the MacArthur Amendment, which essentially eliminates coverage for people with pre-existing conditions, Trump said, Its not going to be here.

Despite Trumps insistence that he wasnt interested in a deadline for the bill, the White House pushed for a vote on the health care bill last week to secure a legislative victory for the president in his first 100 days. But with the latest changes to protections for people with pre-existing conditions, there was enough opposition from moderate Republicans for GOP leaders to say they were not confident they had the votes to pass it.

More here:
Donald Trump doesn't know anything about the health care bill he's pushing - ThinkProgress

Evangelical leader Jerry Falwell Jr., an early backer of Donald Trump, enthusiastically praised the presidents first 100 days of office.

I think evangelicals have found their dream president, Falwell said on Saturday during Justice With Judge Jeanine on Fox News.

Falwell citedreuniting Israel with America and appointing people of faith throughout the administration as the reasons evangelicals in general remain highly supportive of Trump.

Falwell also trashed moderate Republicans, who he said make my blood boil.

Honestly I have more respect for Democrats than I do moderate Republicans, Falwell said. At least Democrats admit what they believe, and they say it up front, and at least you know what youre dealing with.

Last year, Falwell faced a mutiny at Liberty University, the school where he serves as president, over his support for Trump.

See the full conversation above.

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Jerry Falwell Jr. Calls Donald Trump The 'Dream President' For Evangelicals - Huffington Post

President Donald Trump, who has all but ruled out disclosing his tax information, claimed on Sunday that he could release his tax returns soon, following the completion of a routine IRS audit.

It could happen soon. I dont know, he said in an interview on CBS Face the Nation. I think its pretty routine, to be honest with you. But then Ill make a decision.

Last week, Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin declared that Trump has no intention of releasing his tax returns, which he repeatedly promised to do while running for president but falsely claimed that he couldnt because hes being audited.

The IRS has said that nothing prevents individuals from sharing their own tax information, including being audited.

In avoiding a basic practice of transparency for elected officials, Trump became the first president in four decades to not disclose his tax filings, leaving many unanswered questions about his finances and business practices.

When Mnuchin last week unveiled the Trump administrations tax plan, which would benefit wealthy people like Trump, it renewed calls for the president to unveil his tax information.

On Sunday, Trump refuted his treasury secretary, claiming that he might release his tax returns and bragged about the supposed size of them.

Well, I never spoke to him about it. Honestly, hes never asked me about it, Trump said of Mnuchin. I said, number one, Im under audit. Right now, Im under audit. After the audit is complete. Its a routine audit, but I have a very big tax return. Youve seen the pictures. My tax return is probably higher than that from the floor. When you look at other peoples tax return, even other wealthy people, their tax return is this big. My tax return is this high.

Trump said that its very unfair that he was being audited.

I have been under audit almost, like, since I became famous, OK? he said.

In defending his decision to not release his taxes, Trump and his administration have repeatedly argued that the matter is settled because he won the election without having released them.

Earlier this month, press secretary Sean Spicer also brought out the audit excusein declaring that Trump would not release his taxes this year. But like Trump, he did not rule it out completely,when asked if it was safe to say that the president will not release his tax returns at all.

Well have to get back to you on that, Spicer said.

Read the rest here:
Donald Trump Keeps Up Charade That He Might Release His Tax Returns - Huffington Post

Ongoing opposition to Donald J. Trumps presidency continues a trend that began during the election campaign: a singular focus on the man and his foibles, as if those who supported him did not get enough of the hashing and rehashing of those same weaknesses before Election Day. Many of us in the opposition are still acting surprised that he is such a consummate con artist, liar, bloviator, narcissist and so on, in office as he was on the campaign trail.

What were we supposed to expect? That Trump was only lying to get into office and would stop doing so out of respect for the majesty of the presidency? That his narcissism would be attenuated somehow by the demands of the office? That he would suddenly become a ratiocinative person just because he is now president? That his racism would evaporate because, somehow, the presidency is a cure for that disorder?

Trumps triumph has little to do with the man himself, whatever his strengths and weaknesses or even the genius of his campaign strategies. It has more to do with where the nation is, where we its people or at least a salient segment of us are, and the state of our public life and discourse and the institutions that provide the vessels in which they unfold. Our vituperations against Trump will not deny him a second term if those fundamentals do not change significantly. Of course, if we are lucky, the man will self-destruct. Dont count on it.

Ours is a degraded country epitomized in a degraded electorate, degraded media and degraded institutions political, educational and bureaucratic.

We still have a two-party system, but in name only. The dominant Republican party is in thrall to a membership that no longer can distinguish between truth and falsehood and is ever eager to dismiss that distinction when confronted by or caught out in blatant falsehoods. The partys leadership is so hell-bent on power and the actuation of its destructive ideology that it unapologetically deploys scorched-earth practices, in or out of power. Republicans have transmuted into a tribe marked by unanimity of opinion or, failing that, ideological purity that brooks no dissent or makes its transaction costs prohibitive; absolutely petrified of the vengeance of a followership it has nurtured to this level of destructive baying for blood; unmindful of, if not actively willing to abet, the damages it does to the most important of our time-honored institutions and practices.

Improving on their bad behavior in 1996, when the Republican leadership stayed away from the funeral for Secretary of Transportation Ron Brown who had died in the service of his country not one member of the congressional GOP broke ranks, for eight years, in their undisguised war on the first black person to be president of this country. This shameful display was consummated by the unprecedented refusal even to consider Merrick Garland, a distinguished jurist of the second-highest court in the land, in order to force the Supreme Court to operate short-handed either indefinitely or until they could secure the open seat for their tribe. When they did, they handed the seat to a judicial hack peddling the snake oil of constitutional originalism, the same doctrine that had doomed Robert Borks nomination back in 1987. A seat on our Supreme Court has become a feudal preferment.

Our current fulminations do not address the electorate that voted Donald Trump into office. If they elected him once, flaws and all, why would they not elect him again? If they dont, it will not be because they have found him to be a singularly flawed person. Focusing on and highlighting Trumps failings has the ironic effect of burnishing his credentials among his followers. Remember, this is exactly how his opponents or, as his supporters call them, the liberal elites, the coddlers of criminals, the embracers of illegal aliens and so forth are expected to view him.

This is where we need to confront the most significant degradation that our country has undergone in the last 30 years; a period and a process inaugurated by the election of Ronald Reagan.

During the Reagan years we made the transition to substituting style for substance; that was when communicating became more important than what was being communicated; when the war on thinking became a framing trope of our public life; when we went from an industrial power with a dominant manufacturing economy to a financial one in which McMoney became king, and then transmuted again into a service economy. To boot, we became the worlds No. 1 debtor nation. That was when running for public office stopped being about what candidates would do for us and became denominated by what candidates would do to certain of us. That was when we found a way in public discourse to elide the strictures of the civil rights movements outcomes by making an art form of dog whistles. That was when invoking the bogey of political correctness became a refurbished refuge for scoundrels until, with the election of Barack Obama, a full-blown atavistic epidemic of name-calling and outright demonization of nonwhite groups, native or immigrant, broke upon the land. That was the beginning of a relapse to the good old days when white was right and nonwhites knew to stay in their place.

Academia and the intellectual class cannot claim innocence in the debacle that is life under Trump for most of Americas inhabitants. The widespread diffusion of less sophisticated variants of postmodernism, deconstructionism and post-structuralism in our higher education institutions has led to the proliferation of motley nihilisms, ranging from mild to severe, undermining truth claims, making fashionable the miniaturization of social life, political movements and even protest traditions. The upshot is that the right wing has found a way to weaponize doubt in favor of the noble lie, peddling outright falsehoods while placing the onus on the rest of us to show why those lies are not true and making it almost impossible to have genuine debates about the gravest issues of life and death.

We now inhabit a world of alternative facts and outright falsehoods promulgated by our president and his minions in the White House. Those only rankle a few of us in what their supporters readily demonize as the elites or the unpatriotic, humorless political correctness police, and have become par for the course for the electorate that elected Trump and handed him a Republican Congress.

I would not like to be misunderstood. Yes, individuals are important in the evolution of historical processes. No doubt Trumps personality and his knack for exploiting the basest aspects of human nature for personal gain, money, fame and now power must not be ignored or underestimated. But he did not create, nor could he have created, a situation in which our basest characteristics are there for the taking.

Our challenge now is to reconnect with the angelic in us and to stop playing suckers to the likes of Donald Trump to cease placing them at the center of our public life, much less at the helm. This may be on the order of actuating the punchline from Bertolt Brechts satirical The Solution, which calls for the government to dissolve the people and elect another. Of course we cannot dissolve the American people or create them again from nothing. We need to effect a sea change in them to prevent a renewal of the Trump incubus in 2020.

Here is the original post:
Donald Trump will be a two-term president unless the opposition can find a way to change America - Salon