Trump calls WHCD a 'very big, boring bust'

President Trump continued to denigrate the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on Sunday morning — calling the gathering a “very big, boring bust.”

Trump fired off a few tweets celebrating the campaign-style rally he held for supporters Saturday night in Michigan, which was organized to coincide with the annual dinner organized by the White House Correspondents’ Association. This was the second consecutive year that the president broke from tradition by skipping the black-tie affair.

Comedian Michelle Wolf’s pointed performance elicited fierce reactions from fans and critics. It was variously described as “magnificently funny” and “unnecessarily cruel.” Trump agreed with the latter, calling Wolf a “so-called comedian” and suggesting that Fox News host Greg Gutfeld host next year’s dinner.

Most of the criticism directed toward Wolf dealt with her jokes at the expense of conservative women. Many prominent figures, both liberal and conservative, were offended what the “Daily Show” contributor said about White House press secretary Sarah Sanders. Trump, who was famously lampooned at the 2011 dinner by Seth Meyers, sent Sanders to represent the administration in his place. She was seated on the dais throughout Wolf’s performance.

Margaret Talev, president of the White House Correspondents’ Association, told Politico that some of Wolf’s material made her feel uncomfortable.

“The association by tradition does not preview or censor the entertainer’s remarks,” Talev said. “Some of them made me uncomfortable and did not embody the spirit of the night. And that is protected by the First Amendment. I appreciated Sarah Sanders for joining us at the head table and her grace through the program.”

Sanders’s father, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, condemned the dinner, claiming it celebrated “bullying, vulgarity, and hate” rather than the First Amendment, as intended.

Huckabee thanked New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman for praising his daughter’s ability to withstand jokes about her looks on national television without walking off stage. He also said he is praying that Sanders’s children never see video of Wolf’s performance and that the White House Correspondents’ Association “never bully another person like that.”

Wolf, however, pushed back against the accusation that she was shaming Sanders’s looks. She said the joke about Sanders burning facts and using the ash to create perfect smoky eye makeup was about “her despicable behavior,” not her appearance.

Back in Washington Township, Mich., about 40 miles north of Detroit, Trump railed against his usual targets, including Democrats and the news media. He assured the audience that he would much rather spend Saturday night with his “favorite deplorables” than the press or other politicians.

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(Cover Photo credit: Paul Sancya/AP)