This has led many to question the close relationship between the White House Administration and the journalists who cover them as part of the White House Correspondents’ Association.
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“I’ll just restate what I said before, which is that the president expressed, what the president said is that he appreciated the spirit of Mr. Wilmore’s expressions on Saturday night”, Earnest said. To a certain extent, so did Obama, but the professional comedian noted the president’s tone was better.
Philip Lewis, an editorial fellow at the Huffington Post, tweeted that pundits should “save your N-word, think pieces”.
“I have no idea what impact Larry Wilmore’s speech is going to have on the president’s critics, and I don’t think I’m going to spend much time worrying about it”, Earnest said.
The United States, which considers itself to be the most important nation in the world, was not represented in this march – arguably one of the most important public demonstrations in Europe in the last generation – except by U.S. Ambassador Jane Hartley, who may have been a few rows back.
Obama began his bit by playing off an old stereotype about black people being habitually tardy.
“I do apologize, I know I was a little late tonight”. Regrettably, that has tended to mean defaulting to the white majority.
The former “is what white people use to denigrate, demean and dehumanize black people”, Wilmore said.
As he often has in recent months, Obama seemed to be relieved to be headed toward the column-flanked exits-but he also seemed genuinely afraid for what might be in store for his country. He skewered mainstream news outlets for their lack of diversity, called out Ben Carson’s opposition to Harriet Tubman on the $20 bill, and took a swipe at Al Sharpton that would only be amusing for those who understand the complexities of black hair care.
Earnest said the White House didn’t see Wilmore’s speech beforehand. Or as Fox News will report, ‘Two thugs disrupt elegant dinner in DC.'” Wilmore closed out his monologue, saying, “So, Mr. President, I’m going to keep it a hundred. The two men shared a grin and physical embrace. Dave Chappelle’s show, a predecessor of sorts to Wilmore’s show, was famous for its shocking and uncensored constant usage of “nigga”, an element that drew both praise and criticism from black viewers. Earnest also said he’s confident Wilmore used the word by design and was seeking to be provocative. At the same time, he wants to be edgy, not for a comedian, but edgy for a president.
The remark shocked the black tie audience, and sent social media buzzing for hours. It’s a debate that might never be resolved within the black community, where it remains a matter of personal choice.
Still, Wilmore’s moment of boundary pushing shouldn’t be the story here.
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Black millennials and the culture that they carry exist in a symbiotic relationship with the president.
