Trump mocks media — and himself — at Gridiron Dinner

David Jackson | USA TODAY

Show Caption Hide Caption Trump tries a hand in comedy at Gridiron Dinner Here's a look at some of President Trump's memorable one-liners from his debut at a Washington press dinner, known as the Gridiron Dinner, where not every joke got a laugh.

WASHINGTON — President Trump made his debut at a Washington press dinner Saturday night by mocking the media, his Democratic critics, his staff, and even himself — a little bit.

Saying staff members wondered if he could make fun of himself, Trump told the annual Gridiron Club dinner that “nobody does self deprecating humor better than I do — no one is even close.”

In a meandering set of remarks that also touched on serious issues like immigration and North Korea, Trump also joked about the in-fighting among his staff — “it’s fine-tuned” — and cracked that he was running late because oft-criticized aide and son-in-law Jared Kushner had trouble getting through security.

Targets included Attorney General Jeff Sessions — “I offered him a ride over and he recused himself” — and Vice President Mike Pence, who Trump said keeps asking “has he been impeached yet?” He said former aide Steve Bannon talked too much to reporters, and “leaked more than the Titanic.”

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Trump took a sharper edge with Democrats like Nancy Pelosi (“man, she’s crazy”), Elizabeth Warren (“Pocahontas”) and Joe Biden (“Sleepy Joe”). Riffing on Biden, Trump said: “A guy makes outrageous statements — he’s going to be president?”

Turning to the media, Trump said he and The New York Times are both New York City icons — “the only difference is I still own my buildings.”

Trump spoke 32 minutes, longer than normal.At one point, a woman heckled Trump to “stop,” and had to be shushed by tablemates.

Having turned down press dinners last year, Trump told journalists who belong to the Gridiron Club that he wanted to come this year and “ruin your evening in person.”

Created in 1885, the Gridiron Club sponsors an annual dinner featuring skits and songs seeking to make fun of politicians from both parties, particularly the sitting president.

Like predecessors who have attended the dinner, Trump also got to speak and try his hand at making fun of the press and other adversaries. The president, not a professional comedian, had some hits, but also drew silence with some cracks.

Saying he was once asked how he could deal with a “madman” like North Korea’s Kim Jong Un, Trump said: “That’s his problem, not mine.”

Trump warmed up his for his debut at the annual Washington ritual by tweeting out an attack on the media.

Mainstream Media in U.S. is being mocked all over the world. They’ve gone CRAZY! https://t.co/4UGYuJpUA7 — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 3, 2018

“Mainstream Media in U.S. is being mocked all over the world,” Trump tweeted, linking to a conservative column criticizing coverage of him and his family. “They’ve gone CRAZY!”

Last year, Trump turned down invitations to the Gridiron and the other high-profile press event, the White House Correspondents Association Dinner. The White House said Trump has not yet decided whether to attend this year’s correspondents dinner, which is in late April.

Per tradition, the Gridiron Club dinner also featured speakers from both political parties.

New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu, representing the Democrats, joked that he could lead a New Orleans parade as “King Chaos.” Landrieu also joked that he understands the loneliness of the of the presidency: “I understand lonely because I am a Democrat from the South.”

Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas, the Republican speaker, talked about a previous banquet: The 2011 correspondents dinner, in which then-President Barack Obama roasted Trump for his political ambitions and his persistent questioning about Obama’s birthplace.

Cotton said reporters at the dinner thought they had put Trump in his place — “They didn’t realize that place was in the Oval Office.”

The skits performed by reporters Saturday included White House staff chaos — a number called “West Wing Story” — Trump’s tweeting habits, and the investigation of Special Counsel Robert Mueller into Russian interference in the 2016 election.

One Russia probe song carried the title “You Can’t Hurry Bob,” song to the tune of the Supremes’ “You Can’t Hurry Love.”

Other skits and songs mocked Democrats like presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders, and congressional leaders Charles Schumer and Nancy Pelosi.

Trump returned to Washington on Saturday afternoon after a short trip to his estate in Mar-a-Lago, Fla., where he hosted a fundraiser earlier in the day.

The opening number at the Gridiron — sung to the tune of a song from the Marx Brothers’ film, Duck Soup — featured a performer playing author Michael Wolf, riffing on how he gathered material for his Trump book, Fire and Fury: “I showered them with flattery, they’re easy to deceive/They thought Trump had vouched for me, boy were they naïve.”

Gridiron President David Lightman, who cited the frequent friction between the president and the press, joked that he was surprised Trump decided to attend because it meant he “has to eat dinner at a hotel he doesn’t own.”

At another point, when he joked about how Trump used to phone reporters posing as his own public relations person, Lightman said of the president: “You can’t see it, but, trust me, he enjoyed that joke.”

As he began his remarks, Trump told reporters: “We really looked forward to this — well, maybe not.”