There was no president. There was no comedian. What remained at the White House Correspondents’ Association’s annual dinner on Saturday night were the journalists and the First Amendment.

The White House Correspondents' dinner went along without an appearance from President Trump or any comedians.

A White House correspondents’ dinner that lacks the traditional comedy act doesn’t necessarily translate to a more somber-than-usual evening. In 2019, the historian Ron Chernow gave a lecture and everyone had a pretty decent time;