DC Press Elites Reportedly Go After Trump By Breaking a 140-Yearlong Tradition at Private White-Tie Dinner [View all]

Source: MEDIAite

Mar 16th, 2025, 12:38 pm


A group of media and political elites in Washington took a shot at President Donald Trump by bucking a 140-yearlong tradition during a white-tie, closed-door D.C. dinner.

Multiple reports detailed the events Sunday at the Gridiron Dinner — an event which goes back to the 19th century in which heavy hitters in Washington media and politics gather and engage and take friendly jabs at one another in a convivial setting. Presidents have regularly attended, however Trump has not been at the dinner since 2018. And top members of his administration also boycotted the event.

According to one account of the proceedings, the attendees swiped at Trump by breaking a tradition that dates back to the event’s founding in 1885. Puck’s Dylan Byers reported those in attendance did not toast the president for the first time in the dinner’s history. Instead, the dinner guests toasted the First Amendment.

The New York Times reported further details from the event. Rep. Lisa McClain (R-MI) — the most prominent Republican in attendance — jabbed at Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. “I was also told Robert Kennedy was going to be here tonight, but unfortunately he couldn’t make it,” she said, per the Times “He’s got the measles.”

Read more: https://www.mediaite.com/news/dc-press-elites-reportedly-go-after-trump-by-breaking-a-140-yearlong-tradition-at-private-white-tie-dinner/