Abstract
It is known around Washington, D.C. as “Nerd Prom.” The White House Correspondents’ Association—the organisation that coordinates news coverage of the United States President—has held a gala dinner nearly every spring since 1922. In recent years, the guest speaker has been a comedian, and the event has included two comedy routines: one by a professional comedian and the other by the President of the United States. President Barack Obama was typically successful in his performances whereas Donald Trump rejected the platform, a punishment for what he deemed “fake news”. The White House Correspondents’ Dinner as an institution—as well as its particular performances—reward philosophical contemplation, inviting inquiries at the intersections of politics, morality, and comedy.
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Ross, S.T. (2018). POTUS Stand-Up: The White House Correspondents’ Dinner. In: Davies, H., Ilott, S. (eds) Comedy and the Politics of Representation. Palgrave Studies in Comedy. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-90506-8_14
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