WASHINGTON – Becoming the first sitting president to skip the event in 0ver 30 years, American President Donald Trump was roasted in the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, but that didn’t keep “Daily Show” comedian Hasan Minhaj from addressing “the elephant not in the room.”
Minhaj, 31, who described himself as “a first-generation Indian-American Muslim kid,” said at the start of his routine, “No one wanted to do this. So of course, it lands in the hands of an immigrant.”
He added, “Don Rickles died just so you wouldn’t ask him to do this gig.”
Even though Minhaj said he had been told not to mock Trump or his administration in absentia, he felt he had a duty to “get on this stage and make fun of the president.”
“But the president didn’t show up,” he said. “Because Donald Trump doesn’t care about free speech. The man who tweets everything that enters his head refuses to acknowledge the amendment that allows him to do it.”
Here are some of Minhaj’s most memorable lines from the dinner, as put by CNN.
On being a minority in America:
“That’s why you gotta be on your ‘A’ game,” Minhaj told the press. “You gotta be twice as good. You can’t make any mistakes, because when one of you messes up he blames your entire group. … And now you know what it feels like to be a minority.”
On the First Amendment:
“This event is about celebrating the First Amendment and free speech. Free speech is the foundation of an open and liberal democracy from college campuses to the White House. Only in America can a first generation Indian American Muslim kid get on this stage and make fun of the President.”
On CNN:
“Don, every time I watch your show, I feel like I’m watching a reality TV show. ‘CNN Tonight’ should just be called ‘Wait a second! Now hold on! Stop yelling at each!’ with Don Lemon.”
On Vladimir Putin:
“We have to address the elephant not in the room. The leader of our country is not here. But that’s because he’s in Moscow.”
On Trump’s frequent golfing outings:
“Every time Trump goes golfing, the headline should read, ‘Trump golfing. Apocalypse delayed. Take the W.’ ”
On Kellyanne Conway and ‘alternative facts’:
“Even if you guys groan, I’ve already hired Kellyanne Conway. She’s gonna go on TV Monday and tell everyone I ‘killed.’ It really doesn’t matter.”
On the Trump administration:
“The news coming out of the White House is so stressful, I’ve been watching ‘House of Cards’ just to relax.”
On Frederick Douglass:
“Frederick Douglass isn’t here, and that’s because. He’s dead. Someone please tell the President!”
On Afghanistan:
“Historically, the president usually performs at the correspondents’ dinner, but I think I speak for all of us when I say he’s done far too much bombing this month.”
On headlining the WHCA dinner:
“I would say it is an honor to do this, but that would be an alternative fact. It is not. No one one wanted to do this so of course it falls in the hands of an immigrant. That’s how it always goes down.”