Historian Ron Chernow pays tribute to journalists and first amendment at Correspondent Dinner at White House



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"We must now fight for the basic truths we take for granted," he said.

Chernow, the author of the biography of Alexander Hamilton who inspired the hit musical "Hamilton," was invited to the place of a comedian. The historian has been well received, alternating intelligent jokes and call to arms for democracy.

He only mentioned the name of President Donald Trump once, but the rhetoric of his president on "the enemy of the people" was repeated.

He also stated that all present were part of the "US team and not members of the enemy camps".

His advice for the press? He quoted investor-billionaire Warren Buffett, who said: "Always take the road, there are a lot fewer people there."

Chernow was not the only change at the Black Tie Gala this year. Trump snubbed the event for the third year in a row, and he also asked government officials and their associates to stay at home.

News agencies that had bought tables for the annual fundraiser and invited White House staff suddenly had seats to donate to others.

At a cocktail party held before dinner dinner, several reporters said the event felt less tense without the presence of press representatives at the White House, torn between their daily chores and anti-human attacks. President's media.

A small number of Trump's assistants, including President Kellyanne Conway's advisor, attended some of the social events that took place prior to Saturday night's dinner.

Conway, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein and comedian Jay Leno all posed for photos during the Saturday morning garden brunch to raise funds for veterans.

Later in the day, in the ballroom of the Washington Hilton, president of the White House Correspondents Association and chief correspondent of DC for SiriusXM, Olivier Knox spoke of his efforts to refocus dinner on the values ​​of the Premier amendment.

"We must not lose sight of the attacks on the press in a global context," he said, highlighting how the term "false information" has been adopted by politicians of other countries to censor the press organs.

Knox – whose talk was televised live by CNN – also urged the public to listen to local and regional media struggling due to changes in business models and consumer habits.

After awarding several awards, it was Chernow's turn.

He made some jokes and said that America needed actors "more than ever, during this surreal interlude".

Chernow put the Trump years in its historical context. He said that George Washington, like "every future president," felt decried by the press, "but he never generalized it against a vendetta against the institution".

There was applause for this line – a clear criticism of the radical rhetoric of "The People's Enemy" of Trump.

But he also received applause when he stated that relations between the press and the president were "inevitably harsh, almost always contradictory, but they did not need to be steeped in venom" .

Our best presidents, he said, treated the press with "grace, charm, frankness and even humor".

Chernow concluded by quoting a quote from Mark Twain: "Politicians and layers need to be changed often – and for the same reason."

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