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HOH’s White House Correspondents’ Dinner Party List

Sarah Huckabee Sanders will take the heat for Trump this year

Music producer Steve Aoki, left, talks with actor Keegan Michael Key at the Yahoo/ABC News party in the Washington Hilton before the 2016 White House Correspondents’ Dinner. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call file photo)
Music producer Steve Aoki, left, talks with actor Keegan Michael Key at the Yahoo/ABC News party in the Washington Hilton before the 2016 White House Correspondents’ Dinner. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call file photo)

Washington will soon find out if Sarah Huckabee Sanders can take it as well as she can dish it out.

The White House press secretary is going to the White House Correspondents’ Association’s annual dinner on Saturday, April 28, in place of her boss.

President Donald Trump hasn’t been to the dinner since comedian Seth Meyers skewered him in 2011 when he was teasing a presidential run.

“Donald Trump has been saying that he will run for president as a Republican — which is surprising, since I just assumed that he was running as a joke,” Meyers said at the time. 

Comedian Michelle Wolf is the host of this year’s dinner at the Washington Hilton. The former Daily Show correspondent jokingly dared Trump to attend the event at a recent appearance on “Jimmy Kimmel Live.”

“I dare you, you poor little man,” she said to laughs. “I’ll give you five dollars if you come.” 

For those who don’t get to be in the room for the jokes, there are parties around town to celebrate what locals like to call “Nerd Prom.” All parties are invite-only and the invitations are nontransferable.

Have more to add to the list? Email: HOH@rollcall.com.

Thursday

  • The fifth annual Washington Women in Journalism Awards, co-hosted by Gloria Story Dittus, chairwoman of public affairs firm Story Partners, and Cathy Merrill Williams, president and publisher of Washingtonian. 6 to 8:30 p.m. at Dittus’ home. This year’s recipients are Amanda Bennett of Voice of America, Amy Walter of The Cook Political Report, Audie Cornish of NPR, and Lynn Sweet of the Chicago Sun-Times.
  • The Great American White House Correspondents Dinner Party, hosted by The Daily Caller, the Entertainment Software Association, the International Franchise Association, the Conservative Partnership Institute and the National Beer Wholesalers Association. 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. at the National Union Building (918 F St. NW).

Friday

  • A Toast to the First Amendment, hosted by RealClearPolitics, the National Restaurant Association, the Beer Institute, and the Distilled Spirits Council. 6 to 10 p.m. at the National Restaurant Association (2055 L St. NW, Ste 700).
  • A Celebration of America’s Journalists, co-hosted by United Talent Agency and Mediaite. 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. at Fiola Mare (3100 K St. NW).
  • “Come Together” Washington, hosted by the British Ambassador Sir Kim Darroch and his wife, Lady Vanessa Darroch. 7 to 11 p.m. at the ambassador’s residence (3100 Massachusetts Ave. NW).
  • #RightToBearArts gala benefit, hosted by the Creative Coalition, 8 p.m. at the Mayflower Hotel (1127 Connecticut Ave. NW).
  • Kick-off cocktail reception hosted by Capitol File, 7 to 10 p.m. at the Kreeger Museum (2401 Foxhall Road NW). Comedian Kathy Griffin, chef Jose Andres, Vice President Mike Pence’s press secretary Alyssa Farah, CNN’s Jake Tapper and MSNBC’s Chris Matthews, among others, are scheduled to attend.

Saturday

  • 25th annual White House Correspondents #GardenBrunch. 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 2920 R St. NW. Hosted by Tammy Haddad, Hilary Rosen and Megan Murphy, Fred Humphries, Mark and Sally Ein, Mark Testoni, Greta Van Susteren and John Coale, Fritz Brogan, Franco Nuschese, and Kevin Sheekey to honor military veterans.
  • The first No Tie Party hosted by Playboy. 9:30 p.m. to 2 a.m. at 1008 Vermont Ave. NW.  Playboy is joining the party circuit as “an appreciation for the work (journalists) do with a wink & nod to the culture and politics of D.C.,” it said in a press release.
  • Thomson Reuters’ pre-party (6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.) and after-dinner drinks until 12:30 a.m. in the Hilton’s Lincoln Room (1919 Connecticut Ave. NW).
  • Atlantic Media and CBS News’ reception, 6 p.m. at the Hilton’s Courtyard and Gardens, lobby level.
  • The Young Turks Preamble Party, 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. on the Hilton’s Hepburn Rooftop.
  • NBC News & MSNBC After Party, 11:30 p.m. at the Organization of American States’ Art Museum of the Americas (201 18th St. NW)

Sunday

  • Thomson Reuters’ annual brunch. 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Hay Adams Hotel’s top floor, the Top of the Hay (800 16th St. NW).

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