On Friday, the news broke that press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders would be attending the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in place of President Trump, who’s declined to attend for the second straight year.
A statement released by the White House Correspondents’ Association read: “The White House has informed us that the president does not plan to participate in this year’s dinner but that he will actively encourage members of the executive branch to attend and join us as we celebrate the First Amendment. In keeping with tradition, Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders also will represent the administration at the head table. The April 28 dinner celebrates award-winning reporting, scholarship winners and the vital role of the First Amendment and the free press in American democracy.”
When asked about the news, Michelle Wolf, the hilarious Daily Show correspondent and future Netflix late-night host who’s hosting the night’s festivities, told The Daily Beast: “I’m just excited Sarah finally gets to go to prom.”
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As for Trump’s continued absence at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, otherwise known as “nerd prom,” he may still harbor ill will toward the ceremony dating back to 2011, when emcee Seth Meyers and then-President Obama ripped the birther to shreds.
“All kidding aside, obviously we know about your credentials and breadth of experience,” Obama said to Trump, who appeared visibly rattled. “For example—seriously—in an episode of Celebrity Apprentice, at the steak house, the men’s cooking team did not impress the judges from Omaha Steaks. And there was a lot of blame to go around. But you, Mr. Trump, recognized that the real problem was a lack of leadership. And so ultimately you didn’t blame Lil Jon or Meatloaf. You fired Gary Busey. And these are the kinds of decisions that would keep me up at night.”
That joke, by the way, was famously inspired by a Judd Apatow rant. Whether or not the roasting inspired Trump to run for president, however, is anyone’s guess.
