dinner with the devil

      One of the highlights of my career as a Washington political reporter for the New York Daily News was when my late colleague Lars-Erik Nelson and I won the 1980 Merriman Smith Memorial Award from the White House Correspondents Association for our deadline coverage of the final negotiations that led to the release of the American hostages in Tehran. (I also accompanied President Jimmy Carter to Wiesbaden—within hours after he left office--when he personally greeted the returning Americans.)  

      Before that, I covered Watergate for two solid years, covering every angle, breaking exclusive, at times copyrighted, stories about the wiretap/bugging/hush money scandal, until Richard Nixon, facing certain impeachment from a unified bipartisan Congress (remember that?) was forced to resign in ‘74.  

      So, I know something about shoe leather journalism and what it can accomplish.  

      But as proud as I am of my ancient history, I am appalled by the pliant behavior of White House reporters today as they cover this corrupt, corrosive, blindingly incompetent and dangerous administration. It was bad during Donald Trump's first term; it is worse now.  

      Our democracy literally faces an existential threat as Trump and his cronies run riot over the Constitution, our government and our laws, and no one in the mainstream press seems to care enough to say all bets are off with this asshole. (And don’t get me started on this Congress and the Supreme Court.)  

      The WHCA is hosting its annual gala dinner this Saturday, the year of the country’s 250th birthday. For the first time in his presidency, Donald Trump says he will attend. He has boycotted all previous dinners on his watch, excoriating all press—but White House reporters especially—as (take your pick) ugly, stupid, ridiculous and of course, FAKE! 

      Obviously fearing for their continued access—remember what (supposedly) ex-drunk Pete Hegseth tried to do with the Pentagon press corps—the current White House press corps has been oh-so polite for way too long as fatuous asses like mouthpiece Karoline Leavitt and present and former all-stars like Kristi Noem, Steven Miller and Pam Bondi spewed personal (and fact-free) invective and venom all over them. 

      The Bronx boy in me long ago would have reached his “fuck-this-shit” limit and replied in kind. But maybe that’s just me.

      Simply put, someone needs to call bullshit on Trump and his mob every week, every day, until this atrocious president is held to account for all he has done to destroy our democracy (see Tom Edsall in The New York Times for a depressing précis of all that this bastard has done to us--so far).

      When Trump accepted the WHCA invitation to be “an honoree” (sweet Jesus!) at the annual press gala Trump once again showed all the class of a pay toilet: 

      “The White House Correspondents Dinner has asked me very nicely to be the honoree at this year's dinner, in honor of our nation's 250th birthday and the fact that these ‘correspondents’ now admit that I am one of the Greatest Presidents in the History of our Country…” he bellowed on social media.

      Trump went on: “It will be my Honor to make it the GREATEST, HOTTEST, and MOST SPECTACULAR DINNER OF ANY KIND EVER! Because the Press was extraordinarily bad to me, FAKE NEWS ALL right from the beginning of my first term, I have boycotted the event and never went as Honoree. However I look forward to being with everyone this year."       

      Never forget that Trump had to sit through arguably his most embarrassing public roasting—at a WHCA dinner in 2011 when President Barack Obama, no less, skewered him cleanly over his birther beliefs that questioned Obama’s right even to run for the office. 

      Said Obana: “No one is prouder—to put this birth certificate matter to rest than The Donald. And that’s because he can finally get back to focusing on the issues that matter: Like, did we fake the moon landing? What really happened in Roswell? And where are Biggie and Tupac?”

      That was the evening of April 30, 2011. Talk about being cool under pressure: Just hours before the dinner Obama gave the order to kill Osama bin Laden.

Frank Van Riper is a Washingtopn-based photographer, journalist and author. He served 20 years as a correspondent and editor in the New York Daily News Washington Bureau and later for 19 years was the photography columnist of the Washington Post.