The annual White House Correspondents’ Dinner, long known for its star-studded guest list and late-night punchlines, struck a markedly different tone Saturday night. Held at the Washington Hilton on April 26, the 2025 edition unfolded with no president in attendance, no comedic act, and few traces of the usual Hollywood glitz. Instead, it became a somber affirmation of journalism’s role in a deeply polarized America.
This year, the focus remained squarely on the press — and on the First Amendment, the constitutional safeguard of free expression and a free press. President Donald Trump, consistent with his approach during his first term, declined to attend. Now in the first year of his second term, he cited a scheduling conflict: an official trip to Rome for the funeral of Pope Francis. The absence was officially diplomatic, but politically loaded.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, 27, also skipped the event. A staunch loyalist to the MAGA movement, Leavitt has quickly adopted an adversarial posture toward the media, characterizing it as an “arm of the opposition” in multiple appearances since taking office.
Eugene Daniels, president of the White House Correspondents’ Association, opened the night with an unambiguous message: “We are not the opposition. We are not the enemy of the state,” he said. “At a crucial moment for journalism, I want to make sure the focus isn’t swallowed up by the politics of division, but stays firmly on what really matters: celebrating the excellence of our colleagues and supporting the next generation of journalists through scholarships and mentorship.”
This year’s awards honored a slate of hard-hitting reporting. Axios political reporter Alex Thompson received top recognition for his coverage of President Biden’s physical and political decline. ABC’s Rachel Scott was honored for her reporting on the attempted assassination targeting Trump. The New York Times’ Doug Mills was recognized for a haunting photograph of Biden beneath the marble gaze of Abraham Lincoln — a quiet moment of presidential fragility.
Reuters was awarded for an investigative series on fentanyl trafficking. The Associated Press earned praise for its reporting on prison labor exploitation, while the BBC’s Anthony Zurcher was cited for his precise and unvarnished dispatches from the war in Gaza.
The evening had already taken a turn toward restraint before it began. Comedian Amber Ruffin, originally scheduled to perform, was dropped by organizers after publicly criticizing the administration during a podcast appearance. That decision stripped the night of its usual comedic interlude, deepening the event’s introspective mood.
The red carpet underscored the shift. Gone were the celebrity regulars of years past — Scarlett Johansson, Kim Kardashian, John Legend, Rosario Dawson. A smaller contingent of familiar names appeared, including Jason Isaacs, Dean Norris, Tim Daly, Lynda Carter, Alex Borstein, and investor Kevin O’Leary. The room, typically buzzing, carried a more muted energy.
Projected across large screens during the ceremony were images of past presidents — Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and Joe Biden — all of whom, despite tensions, engaged with the press as a cornerstone of democratic life. On Saturday night, with no head of state on hand and little spectacle, the journalists in attendance held to what remains theirs alone: the responsibility — and the resolve — to report the truth.
