White House loses its sense of humour: No more comedians at press dinner now

Washington, Nov 20: The Donald Trump administration might have failed to score a point over the media in the recent Jim Acosta fiasco but it has not given up its crusade against the media and those who 'dare' to mock it, for example, the comedians. And this has made the White House Correspondents' Association (WHCA) think things afresh.

According to reports, the association has shelved the tradition of inviting a comedian to mock the president and the press corps at its annual fundraising dinner, an occasion which President Trump has been ignoring ever since he came to office in January 2017.

Olivier Knox, president of the association, announced on Monday (November 19) the same and famed author Ron Chernow is set to attend the event as the speaker next.

"As we celebrate the importance of a free and independent news media to the health of the republic, I look forward to hearing Ron place this unusual moment in the context of American history," Knox said in a statement on Monday.

The dinner is a key event in Washington but of late, the deepening animosity between the Trump administration and the media has left the ambience sour. Inviting Chernow in place of a stand-up comedian proves that the annual dinner has indeed seen some significant changes.

Knox told CNN earlier this year that in the presence of the president, the event has a different flavour. First, he ribs the press corps and then the comedian counters to protect the balance. But now with Trump ignoring the dinner twice and also likely to repeat it for the third time on April 27, 2019, the WHCA had to rethink how to go about it.