The real President Donald Trump notably decided to skip the annual White House Correspondents’ Dinner once again this year, holding a rally instead in Washington, Michigan. In his place was Our Cartoon President, the animated version of the commander-in-chief that Stephen Colbert brought to Showtime earlier this year.
In a short video that played for the journalists and others attending this year’s #NerdProm, Margaret Talev, the current president of the White House Correspondents’ Association, tried to convince the president to attend this year. “Hmm, I’d look pretty thin-skinned if I didn’t show up,” Trump said, echoing what Samantha Bee said about him a year ago. Unlike in real-life, he added, “I’m in!”
Later in the clip, after a series of jokes at the expense of Sean Hannity and Rachel Maddow, Trump took the podium to deliver his comedy routine. “Hey, it’s Donald J. Trump, or as you all know me, a source close to the president,” he began. “A lot of people complain that Washington is just a bunch of white guys talking to an audience who agrees with them. But I like Pod Save America.”
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From there, Trump sang a song dedicated to his most beloved Washington journalist, The New York Times’ Maggie Haberman. “Remember that lunch at the Trump Grill?” he crooned. “You got the scoop on my presidential bid. And I got the bacon cheeseburger, and licked the ketchup lid.”
Over a refrain of “Where did we go wrong,” Trump asked, “Was it when I called you a ‘Hillary flunky?’” and added, “I’ve already lost Kilmeade and I can’t lose you.”
“Congratulations to tonight’s honorees!” the cartoon president concluded. “I look forward to locking you all up in the coming years!”
