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Nobody is laughing at Donald Trump anymore

The media-obsessed president’s first White House Correspondents’ Dinner is going to flop. It’s not because of the crowd.

When I think of the difference between Donald Trump’s first term and Donald Trump’s second term, the image that stands out most is the president bombing.

Not a country, in this case — a comedy routine.

It was this January’s keynote speech at the Alfalfa Club dinner, a hokey Washington institution that exists solely for the president to pop in once a year and fire off a bunch of jokes prepared by his speechwriters.

Trump broke with precedent and skipped it in his first term, but decided to give it a shot this time. On the surface, it might have seemed a subtle return to some kind of presidential normalcy — like his much-publicized first appearance at the better-known White House Correspondents’ Association’s dinner on Saturday, a media gathering that traditionally also features a presidential standup set.

Everything you need to know about the White House Correspondents’ Dinner

But when Trump stood up in his black tuxedo and addressed the Alfalfa Club’s ultra-elite membership, which consists primarily of longtime politicians and Fortune 500 CEOs, it did not go well. Here’s how the Washington Post described the scene:

Some jokes landed with a thud, and the room fell silent repeatedly.“So many people in the room I hate. Most of you I like,” he said, according to an attendee. “Who in the hell thought this was going to happen?”He said that he might cut the speech short because he needed to watch the invasion of Greenland, before conceding it was a joke.“We’re not going to invade Greenland. We’re going to buy it,” he said. “It’s never been my intention to make Greenland the 51st state. I want to make Canada the 51st state. Greenland will be the 52nd state. Venezuela can be 53rd.”Trump also pointed to Kevin Warsh, his nominee to be the next Fed chairman.“If he doesn’t lower interest rates I’m suing his ass off,” Trump said. After a beat, he added, “I’m kidding.” After another beat, he concluded, “Eh…”

Some jokes........

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