Hilton Headlines
In the moments following the arrest of a man who opened fire in the Washington Hilton, where the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner was taking place, Donald Trump issued a statement that could double as a tagline for his entire presidency: “LET THE SHOW GO ON.” Cooler heads prevailed and the remainder of the dinner was canceled. But the show? Oh, the show went on. The show always goes on. And it always has the same host. Thankfully, everyone inside the Hilton survived the evening. So did a key metaphor for our era: At an event that was attended by hundreds of members of the media, Trump was still the one breaking all the news; from what happened, to the arrest, to the first photo of the attacker, to updates on when the event (that he wasn’t hosting) would be rescheduled. Even in a situation when he’s being grabbed by Secret Service personnel and rushed from a hotel, Trump still manages to drive the news cycle, and after nearly a term and a half of his presidency, the media hasn’t figured out a way to change that dynamic. He’s the newsmaker, the news-deliverer, the news-distorter, and the news-critic in an all-hours, all-medium show that never ends.
+ Once the news is delivered, it quickly gets manipulated to address items from a long list of prior goals and grievances. What does a shooter at a hotel event hosted by another organization have to do with tearing down the East Wing and building a ballroom? Nothing. And yet… here come the headlines: Trump uses the correspondents’ dinner shooting to renew his White House ballroom push. What does this attack have to do with Jimmy Kimmel? Nothing. And yet… Melania used the news to call for him to be removed from the air, again, for supposedly violent rhetoric. (Forget that Trump’s rhetoric is a thousand times more violent than anything Kimmel has ever said. And Trump isn’t joking.) And, of course, an attack that endangered both White House officials and members of the media couldn’t possibly provide an opportunity to target the media. Sorry, folks. Let the show go on. THR: Trump Gets Defensive in ’60 Minutes’ Interview After Norah O’Donnell Reads From Suspect’s Manifesto, Calls Her a “Disgrace.” Maybe some other favorite targets like our NATO allies or Bruce Springsteen will catch some verbal shrapnel before this story runs its course. Although Springsteen already explained: “We can be critical of those in power… but there is no place in any way, shape, or form for political violence of any kind in our beloved United States.” Of course, you know that’s true, and I know that’s true. But we aren’t the ones running this show.
+ ‘I don’t expect forgiveness’: Authorities review writings of California teacher suspected of shooting.
+ “The assailant was intercepted by armed agents from the Secret Service before he came anywhere close to his intended victims. He was tackled, restrained, and arrested after sprinting past a security checkpoint, through which guests passed earlier in the evening. Shots were fired. The alleged assailant, later identified as Cole Tomas Allen of Torrance, California, hit a Secret Service agent, whose bulletproof vest and cellphone protected him.” The Atlantic (Gift Article): The Correspondents’ Dinner Was a Security Success.
+ Maybe Michael Glantz, a senior talent agent with the Creative Artists Agency, should get into the security business. He was chill. He can be seen on video “leisurely forking leaves from his burrata salad into his mouth against a backdrop of a stage just yards away.” Cool as a cucumber: man calmly ate salad as press dinner shooting unfolded. (No one told this guy that America’s salad days are over.)
