White House Correspondents Association

WHCA Dinners

• 1990: Trump's then-mistress, Marla Maples, attended the White House Correspondents Association dinner as a guest of Time Magazine, prompting Barbara Bush to lament that she had been unable to spot Maples in the crowd from her dais. “First Lady Barbara Bush confessed Sunday to only one regret about the annual White House Correspondents Association dinner the night before: She missed Marla Maples. Bush told reporters that despite trying, she never did catch a glimpse of the blonde bombshell, the so-called other woman in Donald Trump's split with his wife, Ivana. The model and budding actress created a sensation at the black-tie banquet Saturday night just by showing up as a guest of Time magazine.” (Chicago Tribune, April 30, 1990)
• 1993: Donald Trump attended the White House Correspondents Dinner as a guest of Vanity Fair. “The president was the guest of honor but not the star Saturday night at the 79th Annual White House Correspondents Dinner. ‘I met Barbra Streisand!’ crowed CNN's Wolf Blitzer. […] Streisand, invited by Newsweek and escorted by guy-pal Richard Baskin, posed for pics but redirected one photog: ‘Bad angle,’ she explained, pointing to her right cheek. […] Getting nearly as many second looks as Streisand was model vixen Vendela and, on her left, Donald Trump, both Vanity Fair guests.” (USA Today, May 3, 1993)
• 2011: Donald Trump attended the White House Correspondents Dinner as a guest of the Washington Post, which also invited then-House Speaker John Boehner. “The White House Correspondents' Association dinner on Saturday will include the usual suspects - the president, top officials, politicians and the people who cover them. Plus the growing cluster of celebrities who shine outside the political bubble. And ... a few newsmakers you may have heard a lot from lately. Here's an explainer of some of the night's more colorful personalities. […] Guest: Donald Trump; Host: The Washington Post’ Why invited: ‘He's a fascinating figure in Washington right now,’ said spokeswoman Kris Coratti. Also at the table: House Speaker John Boehner.” (Washington Post, April 28, 2011)

Trump's Reaction to the 2011 Mockery of Him at the WHCA

• Trump spoke before the Nashua Chamber of Commerce in New Hampshire about his feelings after having been mocked by President Obama and Seth Meyers at a White House Correspondents Association Dinner. “Donald Trump has offered one more explanation for his grim face during the White House Correspondents' Association dinner. In a speech to the Nashua (N.H.) Chamber of Commerce captured Wednesday on C-SPAN, he explained that he wasn't sure how to react when President Obama and Seth Meyers started making jokes about him.’I looked at my wife and said: 'Is this a good thing or a bad thing? Am I supposed to be honored or am I supposed to hide under the table?' So I just sort of sat there and listened and took it in.’” (Washington Post, May 13, 2011)