April 29, 2025
‘What we are not is the opposition, what we are not is the enemy of the people, and what we are not is the enemy of the state,’ Eugene Daniels said
Donald Trump again skipped the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, but the the White House Correspondent Association’s president took a jab at his ongoing attacks on the press.
At the April 26 event, WHCA President Eugene Daniels delivered a passionate speech defending the organization and the free press, according to a report by HuffPost. His remarks countered Trump’s ongoing attacks on the media, which he has repeatedly labeled the “enemy of the people” since taking office in January.
“We care deeply about accuracy and take seriously the heavy responsibility of being stewards of the public’s trust,” Daniels said. “What we are not is the opposition, what we are not is the enemy of the people, and what we are not is the enemy of the state.”
Trump has stepped up his attacks on outlets he accuses of reporting “fake news” since returning to the White House. In February, he banned the Associated Press from the president’s press pool for not referring to the “Gulf of Mexico” as “Gulf of America” as directed by his executive order.
That same month, the administration also announced its control of a “limited” press pool. Many videos shared online often show the president scolding journalists who ask questions he finds unfavorable.
Trump is the only president since 1921 to skip the White House Correspondents’ Dinner while in office, aside from Ronald Reagan in 1981, who was recovering from an assassination attempt.
“I want to be clear about something: We don’t invite presidents of the United States to this because it’s for them,” Daniels continued in his speech. “We don’t invite them because we want to cozy up to them or curry favor. We don’t only extend invites to the presidents who say they love journalists or who say they are defenders of the First Amendment and a free press.”
Daniels added, “We invite them to remind them that they should be. We invite them to demonstrate that those of us who have chosen the public service of journalism aren’t doing it because we love flights on Air Force One or walking into the Oval Office. It’s to remind them why a strong Fourth Estate is essential for democracy.”
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