Donald Trump's extremely close friendship with Jeffrey Epstein is overshadowing this weekends White House Correspondents Dinner - literally and figuratively. On Friday night a slideshow of images of files and photos was projected onto the exterior of the Washington, DC Hilton, the very hotel where the event is set to be held on Saturday night.
Here is a video capturing some of the images:
Trump plans to attend the dinner for the first time since he was elected President in 2016. It comes as his attacks on the press have ramped up substantially, both in actual words and in lawsuits. Yet, the press seems willing to sidle up to their abuser, welcoming him with open arms, even as he continues to attack them.
Regarding the montage video - it is not clear who is behind it, but they are a hero. Trump had a close friendship with Epstein, no matter how hard he tries to deny it. Epstein was a pedophile and a felon. Trump was his close friend. These are facts. Files have been released, but most are redacted and the majority of the most salacious have been withheld by Todd Blanche. It is unclear if they will ever see the light of day. Before a Democrat takes office, I suspect the files will randomly disappear or become "corrupted files."
Trump is expected to make a particularly nasty speech, presented as "humor", where he attacks journalists (probably mostly women and people of color) and news outlets. He will most likely flee the room as soon as he is done, feeling like he has gotten the best of the journalists who he attacks. An abuser is an abuser right up until the end.
Shame on any journalist who willingly goes to this dinner.
