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The question at the weekend was why – why ?! Why President Biden, a man of a certain age, with a certain need no to be offset by a certain contagious virus subjected to a potential super-spreading event, which was the protracted return of the annual dinner of the White House Correspondents Association? The same dinner, in the same cavernous, poorly ventilated basement of the Washington Hilton, which Vice President Harris could not attend because she had already tested positive for coronavirus. The same dinner that Anthony C. Fauci, Biden’s chief medical adviser, had decided to skip after some risk management assessment.
After dinner at Gridiron, a hearth of covid among the guests on Washington’s List A
Why would the famous journalists who triggered the earliest alarms for the 2020 pandemic – Jake Tapper of CNN and Don Lemon – want to be among the full sardines at the Fiola Mare restaurant on Friday night’s organized by the United Talent Agency? Didn’t anyone learn anything from Gridiron’s dinner in early April? (Or all the 85 people who tested positive after the event were partying it, maybe now believing they were immune to magic?) Were we all crazy? Stir-crazy? Or maybe the desperate need for human company in the form of Kim Kardashian-Pete Davidson’s observation?
You didn’t live until you experienced the centrifugal power of Kim K., with wet hair and a tight-fitting, shiny silver dress running through the room with Davidson (in security canopies). leading her and a small entourage and personal photographer.
Gail King and Drew Barrymore were thrown from the red carpet at the party before dinner on ABC News (Kardashian was a guest on the network), as King later detailed. Riots almost broke out when people tried to take selfies with Kim-e-Pete in the background. (“You don’t understand, this is the best moment of my life!” Someone shouted. A journalist with Kim and Pete in the background of her cell phone began to cry as she showed the pictures she had taken.)
The waters did split, except for many of Kardashian’s attempts leave the crowd for dinner through exits that were only for Biden, received resistance from the Secret Service, and then tried again – about five times. Even these two they failed to escape the ballet exploits of waiters who were doing their job – breaking through a smoky and nascent crowd of about 2,600 people and a tight arrangement of tables, shouting “I’m coming in!” and “Make way!” as they rocked trays laden with steak and fish appetizers extremely close to Kim and Pete’s heads.
MSNBC presenter Simone D. Sanders cleverly infiltrated Kardashian’s entourage to reach the beginning of the queue to enter the dinner. “I am shameless. I wanted to get in quickly and I said to myself, “I can’t get there without Kim Kardashian,” she said. According to Sanders, who knows everything as a former Harris spokesman, Kardashian made only one personal request all night: to be photographed with White House chief of staff Ron Klein. “People turned to her in advance. “They were excited about Ron,” Sanders said.
The reporters’ dinner is basically a celebration for journalists, bringing together the industry to drink, have fun and exchange cheers with a select group of celebrities. Everyone had to be vaccinated and tested negative for coronavirus on the same day – even the Fox News people, as Biden said in his speech. It was a return to some form of normalcy after President Donald Trump’s three-year refusal to attend dinner and a two-year halt to the pandemic. Traditionally, Biden burned the press (“The Only Group of Americans with a Lower Approval Rating Than Me”), then was baked by invited comedian host of the Comedy Central Daily Show, Trevor Noah.
With an almost invisible mask, a disturbing Twitter topic has spread about a sensor that puts CO2 levels in a room at more than 2,000 parts per million. Biden missed dinner and appeared only for speeches where he and First Lady Jill Biden sat on a podium away from everyone as a precaution.
Noah read the room perfectly. “It is a great honor for me to speak tonight at the nation’s most famous super-distribution event,” he began.
“I am a nervous wreck. “No one I’ve talked to says he’s feeling well,” said Gail King of Washington’s 27-year-old garden brunch Tammy Haddad. on Saturday – one of the hottest tickets for the weekend, especially because it was outside. During the peak covid, King did not leave his house for 105 days, she said, but the event was too important to miss.
“I am just happy to be here. But I’m not embracing everyone, “said the Rev. Al Sharpton.
Showtime’s Desus Nice of Desus & Mero said he couldn’t believe a Bronx kid had to sit so close to the action. “Close enough to give Biden a covid. You know, if I killed Biden, that’s flexibility, “he said, laughing. No, but I was thinking, “Are we going to kill Joe Biden?” I don’t want to be that person! “
There was a standing ovation as the dinner presented awards for the life achievements of Alice Dunigan and Ethel Payne, the first two black women to be members of the White House press corps, and tears during a dial to commemorate journalists killed while covering a war in Ukraine. Emotions grew, as did reckless drunkenness – as might be expected at the first wing of an open-air bar that many had visited for years. Numerous TV journalists and celebrities shed tears as they spoke to The Washington Post.
Martha Stewart, a guest at the Daily Mail table, told her hosts: “It’s like the sixth or seventh time [here]. I’ve never been to a table that far before. But the view is great. ” It was so far away that the kitchen door opened every five seconds to her chair. She was there to laugh, she said, “and I want to see the president in person. Other presidents did not show up. You know who I’m talking about. “
The power of the stars was lower than in the Obama years. Kardashian and Davidson were the big draws. Chris Tucker was there, as was Mario van Peebles, but who was attacked by more fans? Saving the world chef Jose Andres.
The weekend kicked off in full force on Friday at the UTA party, where politicians mixed with cable TV stars and plausible denial was the name of the game, as organizers relied on a huge number of unmasked parties to cover up the origins of any potential coronavirus outbreak.
George Conway was there, but not his wife, Kelian. Apparently, the entire CNN lineup was joking, while Fox News personalities mostly kept to themselves. Here came Bill Nye, the man of science, plus Brooke Shields in a black-and-white suit reminiscent of newsprint designed by the late Virgil Ablo. The host of “The Wheel of Fortune” Pat Sajak was leaving with a beautiful blonde, young enough to be his daughter – who, you may be relieved to learn, is his daughter, ambitious country singer and law student at Georgetown Maggie Sajak.
“I’m her escort,” said the proud father, who spent most of the night doing what smart celebrities do: chatting and posing in photos with excited fans of all ages. “If you don’t want to do that, you shouldn’t come,” he said.
Another tradition returned to Haddad’s brunch: rude people spoke through speeches in honor of military veterans. Stephanie Roulette’s show was obviously annoying: “All of you stupid assholes who’ve been saying all along: You’re not coming back.”
On Saturday night at the Hilton, Caitlin Jenner, who recently joined Fox News as a contributor, attended the party online. Asked by The Post why she decided to attend the dinner, she “grimaced”, according to one viewer.
Megan McCain, a former co-host of The View, who now writes columns for the Daily Mail, was ready to stop and talk. “It’s not fun for the rest of the country to hear people get annoyed to go to dinner with black ties,” she said, “so I chose to come and have a good time.”
After dinner, the crowd dispersed to after-parties, with many bold names appearing at the Paramount celebration with invitations only. in the elegant Calorama residence of the French ambassador. There was fine champagne, a hearty buffet, White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki, and many, many corporate executives. He felt rich and grown up. Closest to the envelope was Shields, who changed from her evening gown to a white T-shirt, jeans, and sneakers. “I felt so bad. I was like, “Wait, where are we going?” I was in the car. I changed too early, “she said. “I’d better have a drink because I’m not dressed accordingly.”
Secretary of State Anthony Blinken praised the evening. “I thought it was wonderful,” he said. “I also thought there was a serious nuance that was really right at the moment. Ashley and Naomi Biden mingled unnoticed; Sensors Patrick J. Leahy (D-Vt.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) And Christopher A. Koons (D-Del.) Did not. “I missed the parties last night, so I have to do them everything tonight, “Koons told a group of fans. Gene Sperling, Biden’s senior adviser, told Psaki that he looked great on the podium: “Exactly the right amount of laughter.”
Speaking of jokes: CNN’s Don Lemon (wearing a perfectly tailored tuxedo but no socks) accepted all the slaps on his net calmly. “It’s like roast,” he said, shrugging. “What are you going to do? Put on your big boy pants – no socks.
A brass band was playing nearby at the Colombian ambassador’s residence, and comedian Billy Eichner was still wondering if the president was checking it out in his speech. “One of the most surreal moments of my life,” he said. “I’ll probably watch it a few times to make sure it happened.” How many LGBTQ comedians reach a level where the president knows who …
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