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The annual Gridiron Club dinner in Washington on Saturday featured jokes about President Trump, the breakdown of the global order, Russia, Democrats\u2019 uncertain future and, of course, Elon Musk.<\/p>\n
One of the headliners was Gov. Wes Moore of Maryland, a rising star in the Democratic Party. He acknowledged that his speaking slot was a sign of his own political ambitions, while making a jab at the White House\u2019s current occupant.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf I actually wanted to be president, I wouldn\u2019t do any of this,\u201d he said. \u201cInstead, I would take my case directly to the people who are in charge of our democracy. The Kremlin.\u201d<\/p>\n
Even after all these years, jokes about Mr. Trump and Russia still play with the official Washington crowd. Those in the Hyatt basement, which was packed with reporters, editors, television anchors and ambassadors, laughed along.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
But Mr. Trump wasn\u2019t there to hear any of it.<\/p>\n
He and top members of his administration skipped the dinner, which is one of those old-fashioned Washington rituals. Presidents dating back to William McKinley and Theodore Roosevelt have attended the event hosted by the Gridiron Club, an association of top journalists that was formed in 1885.<\/p>\n
It has historically been a chance for a president to schmooze with the people covering him, as well as to show an ability to make jokes about the political fights of the day \u2014 and take a few, too.<\/p>\n
Mr. Trump skipped the dinner in 2017, the first year he was president, but he did attend in 2018. That year, he made some self-deprecating jokes about the turmoil of his administration. (\u201cI like chaos. It really is good. Who\u2019s going to be the next to leave? Steve Miller, or Melania?\u201d) That was the first and last time he attended.<\/p>\n
President Joseph R. Biden Jr. went last year and cracked jokes about the upcoming presidential campaign that have not exactly aged well. (\u201cOne candidate\u2019s too old and mentally unfit to be president,\u201d he said that year. \u201cThe other guy\u2019s me.\u201d)<\/p>\n
This year, with no president present, lesser political and media players were left to fill the void. The jokes they told offered a snapshot of this moment in the capital.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
The PBS journalist Judy Woodruff opened up the room with jokes about Mr. Musk\u2019s fathering so many children and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth\u2019s drinking. She ripped on the Democrats, too: \u201cAt the joint session, they were more lost and disorganized than Patrick Mahomes at the Super Bowl,\u201d she said, referring to the Kansas City quarterback.<\/p>\n
The Republican headliner was Representative Lisa McClain of Michigan. \u201cI was also told Robert Kennedy was going to be here tonight, but unfortunately he couldn\u2019t make it,\u201d she said, \u201che\u2019s got the measles.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNow let\u2019s talk a little bit about Pam Bondi,\u201d Ms. McClain said. The rumor, she said, was that Mr. Trump wanted his attorney general to be someone with \u201cdaily experience about how the criminal justice system worked, which makes sense.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut unfortunately,\u201d she added, \u201cwe had to pick Pam because the Menendez brothers were unavailable.\u201d<\/p>\n