Summary

The White House Correspondents’ Association canceled comedian Amber Ruffin’s headlining appearance at its annual fundraising dinner.

The decision follows concerns over Ruffin’s anti-Trump comments and growing tensions with the Trump White House, which has restricted press access and pool assignments.

The association’s board voted unanimously for the change, seeking to avoid political division.

This shift mirrors its 2019 approach, when historian Ron Chernow spoke instead of a comedian amid similar Trump-era scrutiny.

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[–] 120 points 1 year ago

Once again demonstrating their collective cowardice...

Obeying in advance. Can't risk upsetting Don Mangolini. The Mafia Admin wins again.

🙄 🙄

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  • [–] 114 points 1 year ago (1 child)

    Seeking to avoid political division... through appeasement? Has that ever been effective? The press truly has abandoned their responsibility.

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  • [+] 20 points 1 year ago* (last edited 4 weeks ago) (1 child)
  • [–] 11 points 1 year ago (1 child)

    I've heard persuasive arguments that Chamberlain did the only thing possible for Britain at the time. Their defense industry was just spinning up and they needed more time to have any chance at facing Germany. The Spitfire had only just started production, for example.

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  • [–] 6 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 child)

    Germany's military industry was also trash at the time. Buying time for Britain's defence also bought time for Germany's offence.

    If France, Britain, etc did something sooner rather than later a lot of bloodshed would have been avoided.

    The World At War is an incredible documentary that covers it quite well.

    https://youtu.be/4AA0lWwTXNc

    "Since the French spurned any notion of taking the offensive, the Maginot Line ironically protected Germany better than it protected France." Narrator, 8:10

    "A few French divisions advanced 5 miles. But they didn't even try to penetrate the Siegfried Line, at that time still unfinished. And while Poland fought on, there were no German tanks at all on the Western Front." Narrator, 12:40

    "If ze French Army would have attacked in beginning of September wiz zere very strong superiority in division in armoured cars well act all armoured cars in ze Western Front at zat time. In artillery, in air force, we ze German forces in the so called Western Front could stand no more than 1 or 2 weeks." General Siegfried Westphal, Staff Officer Western Front, 14:05

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  • [–] 2 points 1 year ago

    At the start of the second world war, Germany was much less mechanized than other countries. I think the US had one car for every five people, the UK one car for every 10 people, France won car for every 15 people, and Germany one car for every 30 people. Something like that.

    The Germans used more horses in World War II than they did in World War I.

    The thing was, what they did have they used effectively, including using radios for communications, which none of the other countries were doing at the time.

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  • [–] 60 points 1 year ago* (10 children)

    Avoid political division

    I mean, the line between parties is now just Anti-fascists | Fascists (Centrists are here as well. Silence is complicity.)

    We even got an operational Gestapo

    https://www.cnn.com/2025/03/29/us/rumeysa-ozturk-tufts-university-arrest-saturday/index.html

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    [–] 49 points 1 year ago (2 children)

    ...seeking to avoid political division.

    Yes, because Trump's platform is unity.

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  • [–] 15 points 1 year ago

    If you think of "unity" like the Nazis think about it, then yes.

    BTW, that's how they have been describing it to others online for over a decade, too...if people they describe as "Communist" which means, in the Venn diagram, anyone who is !Nazi = "Communist", would just agree to stop fighting fascists, there will be unity. Also, "peace". Interestingly, it's how one of the magoffs that worked on/supports Project 2025 talked about their plans, too. Oh, and Putin talks the same way.

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  • [–] 43 points 1 year ago

    Instead just one comedian, you get house full of clowns

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  • [–] 37 points 1 year ago (1 child)

    Wasn't it a correspondence dinner that is considered to be the day he decided to run for president because he was on the verge of tears being made fun of

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  • [–] 30 points 1 year ago

    Should just cancel the whole dinner. This is not normal times anyways.

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  • [–] 28 points 1 year ago* (1 child)

    Trump has no sense of humor. The only reason he ever smiles and laughs is when he knows he's getting something over on somebody.

    It's not a shocker that he couldn't even handle the mildest of criticisms from a comedian.

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    [–] 24 points 1 year ago (2 children)

    I support that decision. What kind of jokes could a comedian make about all of this? About the resurgence of an autocratic state on the ruins of one of the first modern democracies?

    Maybe a conservative, MAGA comedian could do it. But those don't exist. Ask yourself why.

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  • [–] 3 points 1 year ago (1 child)
  • [–] 7 points 1 year ago (1 child)

    That dude is less funny than Trump himself.

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  • [–] 19 points 1 year ago

    Spineless preemptively compliant cowards.

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  • [–] 19 points 1 year ago

    Seth Meyers' jokes at Trump's expense during the 2011 White House Correspondents dinner have been identified by those close to Trump as the moment he decided to seriously run for President.

    Seth Meyers made this problem, it's up to him to fix it. Bonus points if he gets Trump to quit using only jokes.

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  • [–] 18 points 1 year ago

    Lmao "seeking to avoid political division". No you're avoiding dissonance. The GOP MO is to stoke political division, it's literally what gives them power.

    Also "anti-trump" comments instead of just calling them concerns or critiques.

    Language like this is how consent is manufacturered. Language is powerful at subtly shift how one percieves a situation, and leading people to a predetermined conclusion.

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  • [–] 17 points 1 year ago (3 children)

    Remember when they had Stephen Colbert roast GW during the dinner? That was peak comedy. These guys are such losers they know Trump won't be able to handle being roasted, and somehow that's OK for a world leader.

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  • [–] 8 points 1 year ago (1 child)

    Remember when they had Stephen Colbert roast GW during the dinner? That was peak comedy.

    The best part is that they only invited Colbert because they didn't realize his character on The Colbert Report was a parody of right-wing pundits.

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    [+] 16 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)
    [–] 10 points 1 year ago (1 child)

    The news media is not supposed to be friendly with those in power, no matter who is in power. They're supposed to be a pain in the ass of the president (every president). They're supposed to be the Fourth Estate! They're supposed to be part of the checks and balances. It's always irked me that they do this correspondent's dinner and get all buddy buddy with the Whitehouse.

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  • [–] 9 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

    Absolute PUSSY.

    Whoever downvoted, you’re wrong but at least you deprived me of literally nothing in the name of the biggest pussy on the planet. There is not a chance in hell that this was handed down by the board, this was handed down by a man who can’t take a fucking joke even when he is (MAYBE) the most powerful man on the planet, that is the definition of a giant PUSSY.

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  • [–] 9 points 1 year ago
    [–] 9 points 1 year ago (1 child)
  • [–] 9 points 1 year ago

    Tiny 🍄 can’t handle criticism of any kind

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  • [–] 5 points 1 year ago
    [+] 4 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)
    [–] 4 points 1 year ago
    [–] 4 points 1 year ago

    That's because nothing is funny anymore

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