According to The Hollywood Reporter [1], White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who was lambasted by comedian Michelle Wolf last year, has decided to skip this year’s White House Correspondents’ Dinner.
“I’m not planning to attend,” she told The Hollywood Reporter in a statement on Friday. “I’m going to travel with the president for his rally that evening.”
Her boss, Donald Trump, told reporters last Friday that he would skip [2] the “boring,” “negative” dinner for a third straight year and instead hold a political rally, as he did last year.
Counselor to the president Kellyanne Conway, who attended last year’s dinner (and was also made fun of by Wolf), has not responded to emailed questions about her plans.
The dinner is scheduled for Saturday, Apr. 27. The White House Correspondents’ Association, which runs the dinner, selected a historian — rather than a comedian, as is tradition — to speak at this year’s event.
At the celebrity-filled media dinner last year, Sanders was mocked for her job performance and also for her appearance.
“Every time Sarah steps up to the podium, I get excited because I’m not sure what we’re going to get: a press briefing, a bunch of lies or divided into softball teams,” the comedian said during the event.
She also compared the press secretary to the villainous, dour Aunt Lydia from The Handmaid’s Tale and made comments about Sanders’ makeup, saying, “She burns facts then uses that ash to create the perfect smoky eye.”
The comments drew the ire of several political pundits, including MSNBC’s Morning Joe co-host Mika Brzezinski. “Watching a wife and mother be humiliated on national television for her looks is deplorable,” Brzezinski tweeted. “I have experienced insults about my appearance from the president. All women have a duty to unite when these attacks happen and the WHCA owes Sarah an apology.”
Watching a wife and mother be humiliated on national television for her looks is deplorable. I have experienced insults about my appearance from the president. All women have a duty to unite when these attacks happen and the WHCA owes Sarah an apology.
— Mika Brzezinski (@morningmika) April 29, 2018 [3]
Wolf responded to Brzezinski’s tweet, saying, “Why are you guys making this about Sarah’s looks? I said she burns facts and uses the ash to create a *perfect* smoky eye. I complimented her eye makeup and her ingenuity of materials.”
Why are you guys making this about Sarah’s looks? I said she burns facts and uses the ash to create a *perfect* smoky eye. I complimented her eye makeup and her ingenuity of materials. https://t.co/slII9TYdYx [4]
— Michelle Wolf (@michelleisawolf) April 29, 2018 [5]
WATCH:
Here's Michelle Wolf launching into Sarah Huckabee Sanders tonight. #WHCD [6]
“She burns facts and then she uses that ash to create a perfect smoky eye." pic.twitter.com/WuQ5VRqVsW [7]
— Ethan Grey (@_EthanGrey) April 29, 2018 [8]