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The WHCA Dinner Gave the Press Morning Sickness

Brad Slager
Brad Slager  |  Jul 27, 2026
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Reporting on the Mirror – VARIOUS OUTLETS

  • There is no chance he would get positive reviews.

Friday evening the White House Correspondents Association re-staged its annual gala, following the April attempt being curtailed due to a shooter storming the event. President Trump attended once again, and to nobody’s shock, the collective press corps disapproved of his performance. 

The best is seen from those in the media wailing about how insulting and mean his speech had been. This is the same group that has dedicated at least the last two years calling Trump “Hitler,” a “Nazi,” and even “a pedophile. But today, they are trembling over him daring to say rough stuff.

This is also the group that has lectured that it was wrong for him to go after Jimmy Kimmel, when all he did was tell a few jokes. Now these brave-hearted souls are recovering from Trump making fun of them in a roast format.

ASSOCIATED PRESS – A rambling, insult-filled speech.

WASHINGTON POST – Jokes that fell flat and flat-out insults.

MS NOW – The president convinced people to not trust the press.

USA TODAY – The press needed to use the night to attack Trump from the dais.

DAILY BEAST – Trump’s speech was a trainwreck.

PEOPLE MAGAZINE - Trump was transphobic in calling Kaitlan Collins attractive.

Perhaps there is no better description than the simple visual of the sour members of the media audience.

Both Kinds of Standards – THE NEW YORK TIMES

  • So your firm stand is rooted in quicksand.

Also barking about the Trump appearance was Peter Baker, who had caustic words for the show and speech. He seems to say that Trump should not have been granted the chance at free expression, as they were touting that very thing.

But Pete had a questionable approach to his declarative statement. He mentioned that his paper normally does not attend the annual Nerd Prom, but then he was caught up by a reality: He had been in attendance just a few years ago, with Joe Biden. So he had to note the exception to that rule—namely, he was the exception.

Body Checking the Fact-Checkers – CNN

  • You cannot be serious about policing humor.

At CNN, they set up their viscounts of vérité for the WHCA gala, including dusting off their expert in Canada, Daniel Dale, and Brian Stelter. They were providing corrective coverage in real time during Trump’s speech.

That is correct—they saw the need to fact-check the president’s jokes.

Legalized Press-titution – CNN

  • In any other instance, this would be described as collusion.

With news spreading about Dr. Anthony Fauci having his diary entries exposed, to damning effect, there was one particular entry that raised eyebrows.

It turned out that during the time the bad doctor was commanding we stay indoors and intermingle with others, he was doing that very thing. And worse, he did so with the press that had been parroting his dictates.

Fauci was dining at the home of CNN’s Jake Tapper, while we were banned from visiting family.

Prose & Contradiction – NBC NEWS

  • Seems there should have been an accomplice.

News came out of Germany that during a Pride celebration some attendees were run over, with one death and a number of other injuries.

Based on this NBC News headline, we are led to believe that a car acted alone in this attack.

Low-Octane Gaslighting – MS NOW

  • Come on, Ali, not a single challenge or question about this fiction?!

Jim Acosta sat in with Ali Velshi on his new slot hosting The 11th Hour.

During their talk, Acosta repeatedly stated that President Trump has jailed journalists, which is both an amazing thing to say, and an amazing thing for Velshi to not push back on upon hearing that lie.

Apparently, the comment was too audacious for him to correct.