Washington DC: The White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA) has canceled its headline comedy performance for this year’s annual dinner following tensions with the Trump administration.
Comedian Amber Ruffin was originally scheduled to perform at the event next month, but the WHCA announced on Saturday that her appearance had been scrapped.
In a memo to members, the association stated that the dinner’s focus is on honoring the work of White House journalists rather than engaging in divisive politics. The decision follows criticism from the White House, which opposed Ruffin’s selection due to her outspoken views on President Donald Trump.
Taylor Budowich, the White House deputy chief of staff, criticized the WHCA’s decision, calling it a “cop out” and writing on X: “No accountability at the WHCA, just a cop out statement – pathetic!” He also described Ruffin, an Emmy and Tony-nominated comedian and writer, as “hate-filled.”
WHCA President Eugene Daniels had announced Ruffin as the headliner last month, praising her “unique talents” as well suited for the current political and cultural climate. Ruffin, a writer for NBC’s Late Night with Seth Meyers, has recently mocked the Trump administration in her segments, including a joke about Trump’s reported order to rename the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America.
The WHCA and the Trump administration have clashed in recent weeks over various issues, including the White House barring the Associated Press from covering certain events and exerting direct control over the press pool—a group of journalists responsible for covering the White House and traveling with the president.
It remains unclear whether Trump will attend this year’s correspondents’ dinner. Past entertainers at the event have included Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert, Conan O’Brien, and Jay Leno.
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