Has Trump destroyed the president-press relationship forever?

**Martha Kelner** (0:02)
Sky News, the full story first. Did you hire a suit for the correspondence dinner, or have you got one already?

**David Blevins** (0:13)
I've already got one, Martha.

**Martha Kelner** (0:15)
And it still fits you?

**David Blevins** (0:16)
It still fits me, even after a year in America.
And it was on full display on Friday night, because the entire city was in lockdown. My only way back from the dinner to the office was on a motorized scooter. So there I was, whisking along Constitution Avenue on a lime scooter in my Filtucks.

**Martha Kelner** (0:38)
Oh, beautiful. You're a big lime scooter guy, aren't you? I know this.

**David Blevins** (0:42)
Born to be wild, Martha. I'm born to be wild. I'm David Blevins in Washington, DC.

**Martha Kelner** (0:50)
And I'm Martha Kelner in Los Angeles. As you were saying, David, you were at the White House correspondence dinner on Friday night.

**David Blevins** (0:57)
I was, Martha, and it really was quite something. On the podcast today, we'll reflect on Trump's stand-up comedy routine, which was truly bizarre. And the night itself, which shone a spotlight on just how close the White House and the press corps can be when the cameras are, well, mostly off.

**Martha Kelner** (1:18)
And Donald Trump is on a mission in Michigan. He's attending a drag race and a rally at General Motors. This is all part of his push to revive domestic manufacturing in Michigan, a state that will be key in November's midterms.

**David Blevins** (1:33)
That's a car race for those not familiar with the term. Absolutely nothing to do with RuPaul. We'll look ahead to a Tuesday that brings three of the most significant leaders in the world together in DC.
And why is Joe Biden talking about Gaelic football? We'll explain.

**Martha Kelner** (1:54)
So, David, you were up at 4am on Friday night.

**David Blevins** (1:58)
Yeah, sounds like I was clubbing.

**Martha Kelner** (2:00)
Yeah, not at the club.

**David Blevins** (2:02)
Never say never though, Martha.

**Martha Kelner** (2:04)
I guess you were at a sort of club. You were at the White House Correspondents Association dinner, which is an annual event, but it happens to be the second time that it's been held this year. The first one, which you were also at, dramatically curtailed by that shooter incident.

**David Blevins** (2:21)
That's right. A gunman ran into the hotel lobby where the dinner was being held back in April. There were gunshots. Trump and his cabinet, all of whom were invited, as is tradition, were rushed out of the hall and the suspect was apprehended, but the dinner postponed.

**Martha Kelner** (2:38)
So, take two on Friday night, David. Different venue this time, the Waldorf Astoria Hotel. Around 700 journalists in attendance, which is a much smaller crowd than were at the original event. And I assume the security was tighter this time round too.

**David Blevins** (2:53)
On a completely different level, Martha. I didn't get into the building without a QR code, a wristband. I had to have government issued ID.
That's before I even reached the airport style metal detectors. I'd received about 10 emails from the organizers before the event with a host of security information. And I suppose it really makes you realize how lax security was the first time around.

**Martha Kelner** (3:20)
What was the atmosphere like, David? I saw that you were sitting on the front row. You were alongside legendary CNN presenter Wolf Blitzer, which kind of explains what sort of an event this is. It's the very upper echelons of American journalism and American politics. How did it feel in there?

**David Blevins** (3:40)
It was a much more intimate event, as you explained. Just a quarter of the number present who had been present back in April. But in the build up to it, there was a very real sense of anticipation because this was Donald Trump's first time to attend the White House Correspondents Association dinner as president. He never attended during his first term. He didn't attend last year. So people were interested to see how it would play out. I have to say the food was very good, Martha. We got lobster and beef, a bit of surf and turf.

**Martha Kelner** (4:12)
Oh, I love it.

**David Blevins** (4:12)
I love it.

**Martha Kelner** (4:13)
One of the other famous faces attending the event was Caitlin Collins, who is a presenter at CNN. She knows Donald Trump very well because she's worked her way up the ranch, now a presenter of her own show, very well connected, bullish in the way that she covers this administration. And she is clearly someone who continues to get under the skin of Donald Trump. And he is rude to her frequently.