海角大神

It always made sense that, sooner or later, President Trump would attend one of the big annual Washington press dinners.

True, we media denizens are part of the 鈥渟wamp鈥� Mr. Trump loves to hate, but we also give him oxygen. Tweets only go so far in the vast enterprise that is presidential communications. And of course he鈥檇 be the center of attention 鈥� with legions of reporters hanging on his every word and facial expression 鈥� as he and the Washington political scene were being roasted.

Last year, the president pointedly skipped both the White House Correspondents鈥� Dinner and the smaller, off-camera Gridiron Dinner, the annual gala and satirical show put on by Washington鈥檚 oldest journalistic club. So when the president agreed to attend last Saturday鈥檚 Gridiron and deliver remarks, a frisson of nervous anticipation shot through the group.

Would he really show up? Would he go off script? Would he walk out? Even Trump allies were asking themselves the same questions.

鈥淚 have no idea what鈥檚 going to happen,鈥� an administration official told me before the event.

Full disclosure: I am a member of the club, and performed in the show. So I knew what was in store for the president, along with the first lady, Vice President Mike Pence and his wife, first daughter Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared Kushner, and the other top officials who accepted the invitation to attend.

The motto of the club is 鈥渟inge, but never burn鈥� 鈥� but the line between singeing and burning is highly subjective. I wondered, for example, how Trump would react to lines like this: 鈥淒on鈥檛 even think/ of making mirth/ About his girth/ or net worth!鈥�

Try to imagine a Washington lawyer 鈥� a Gridiron 鈥渞inger鈥� who can actually sing 鈥� dressed up as Groucho Marx, singing that line to the tune of 鈥淭hese are the Laws of My Administration鈥� from the movie 鈥淒uck Soup.鈥�

That鈥檚 how the Gridiron show works: Club members, all current or former reporters, take well-known tunes from stage and screen, and adapt the lyrics to fit the politics of the day. Elaborate costumes and visual jokes round out the show. Picture a pair of reporters in Twitteresque bluebird garb crossing the stage during scene changes with signs that read, for example: 鈥淪AD!鈥�

Democrats also came in for serious satire. Hillary Clinton was lampooned to the tune of 鈥淵ou鈥檙e So Vain.鈥� (鈥淵ou walked into my West Wing/ My White House, or so I thought/ Your tie strategically dropped below your belt/ Your hair it was apricot/ I still wake up most nights screaming/ With my PJs in a knot.鈥�) Former Vice President Joe Biden, Oprah Winfrey, and New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu were all parodied for their possible presidential aspirations.

Yours truly was decked out in full Mardi Gras regalia to introduce the song ribbing Mr. Landrieu. He was the evening鈥檚 Democratic speaker, and he found some common ground with the president 鈥� sort of: 鈥淲e鈥檙e both a little overweight and balding 鈥� I just have had an easier time admitting it.鈥�

Ouch.

Maybe, on that particular joke, it helped that Trump himself had recently shared a bit about his bald spot. And maybe it helped set the tone that the skits mocking Democrats went first, before those mocking Republicans, and that the dinner鈥檚 GOP speaker was Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas, a Trump favorite.

But by all accounts, including Trump鈥檚 own tweet, he enjoyed the show. As a showman himself, Trump surely appreciated the spectacle 鈥� and our sterling performances. Guests who watched from the ballroom report that he swayed to the music, smiled, and even laughed.

At last, Trump himself took the microphone. It was a Gridiron speech for the ages 鈥� by turns funny, bizarre, and biting 鈥� designed to show that he can, in fact, make fun of himself, even as he spared no one in his midst, including his wife and son-in-law.

鈥淢y staff was concerned that I couldn鈥檛 do self-deprecating humor,鈥� Trump said. 鈥淎nd I told them not to worry, nobody does self-deprecating humor better than I do.鈥�

Of Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who stepped aside from his department鈥檚 Russian investigation, he said this: 鈥淚 offered him a ride over, and he recused himself.鈥�

Of Mr. Kushner, his son-in-law and a senior aide, he said this: 鈥淵ou know, we were late tonight because Jared could not get through security,鈥� a reference to Kushner鈥檚 recent loss of top-level security clearance.

Of his wife, Melania, who sat nearby, he raised eyebrows with this: 鈥淣ow the question everyone keeps asking is: Who is going to be the next to leave? [Senior adviser] Steve Miller or Melania?鈥�

Trump then appeared to go off-script as he turned to his wife and said, 鈥淭hat is terrible, honey, but you love me, right?... I won鈥檛 tell you what she said.... She said, 鈥楤ehave.鈥�... Is that terrible?鈥�

It was a 鈥渕eta鈥� moment that left club members standing at the back of the ballroom slack-jawed and wondering exactly what he was trying to tell us. For the record, there were no jokes in the show about Trump鈥檚 alleged affair in 2006 with a porn star, which he denies.

Trump鈥檚 remarks lasted 35 minutes 鈥� well beyond the 10 or 15 minutes presidents usually take at Gridiron. At one point, a heckler yelled at him to stop. For Trump, that was probably a plus.

鈥淭he Gridiron Dinner last night was great fun,鈥� the president tweeted the next day.

Inevitably, this year鈥檚 gala extended the long-running debate about whether it鈥檚 appropriate for White House reporters and the people they cover to socialize for an evening, be it at Gridiron or the White House Correspondents鈥� Dinner. It鈥檚 a worthy question, and with a president who has referred to the news media as 鈥渢he enemy of the people,鈥� it has taken on added weight.

But here鈥檚 this participant鈥檚 take: Regardless of how the president feels about the media, he and the scribes charged with reporting on him are in the same soup for the next three 鈥� or seven 鈥� years. One can argue they might as well get to know one another a bit as people, if only to promote mutual understanding.

Americans who disapprove of Trump鈥檚 performance in office and who are appalled that such fraternizing 鈥渘ormalizes鈥� his presidency might consider this: News reporters are trained to maintain a certain emotional detachment from the people they cover. And better understanding of those people makes for fuller, more nuanced coverage 鈥� and a more informed citizenry.

Now, on to the correspondents鈥� dinner on April 28. The early line is that Trump might attend that one, too.