CSPAN callers who watched President Donald Trump’s speech at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner were left unimpressed.
On Friday during the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, Trump delivered a speech that few people — audience, television viewers, and even Trump himself — apparently thought was funny.
One viewer called Scott, who called into CSPAN, said he was watching it and laughing for “the wrong reasons.”
“I was laughing for the wrong reasons. It was so bad. The world is watching this speech and I’m embarrassed for America that we have somebody that is so bitter about being treated unfairly and complaining about all these hurts that are done to him because he’s so wonderful and perfect in everything that he does. I just found it frustrating to listen to but I listened to the whole thing” he said.
Scott agreed with the host that the event is a “hot ticket,” adding: “Respect for the office is always there. It doesn’t mean that you have to totally believe everything hat the person who holds the office is telling the truth …
“But at the same time, the free press is allowed to say, hey the office holder is really not saying good things, he’s making billions of dollars – he’s made more money as the president than the last 50 presidents combined have made in office. And he’s doing it in the open.”
A caller called Jerry who identified himself as a Republican told CSPAN: “I thought the president was terrible.”
He said said the speech was disappointing to watch because Trump – who he pointed out is a “convicted felon” – is representing the U.S. to the world, and noted that no matter the audience or context, the president always treats others in a “despicable” way, “but it’s the sawm way he treats people all the time.”
“It’s all about him,” the caller said. “He hasn’t changed, and he’s not gonna change.”
Most of Trump’s set was a mixture of awkward attempts at humor and insults aimed at his political enemies that were dressed up as jokes.
He commented on former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and Congressman Jerry Nadler’s weights, and made a sex joke that he had to explain to the audience.
”The other day, a senator I knew got a text, a great guy, from his wife, and she said, ‘When you get home, I wanna have you immediately come up the stairs and make love to me.’ And he said, ‘I can’t do both.’ You know what that you know? In other words, can’t go up the stairs and make love,” Trump said.
Even Trump admitted the joke was a dud. “I think … Does anybody get that? Well, I thought that was actually pretty good. That was actually the only thing I thought was good in this whole freaking stupid speech that they wrote,” Trump said. “That was the only good one, and that went down with not exactly great laughter. No, think. You know, in other words, you can’t go up the stairs and make love, two different.”
Elsewhere in his speech, Trump lobbed attacks at Congresswoman Ilhan Omar. He insinuated several times that she is sleeping with her brother, he implied that she is stupid, an said he does not think she belongs in the U.S.
“But I’m not surprised, ’cause she’s a low IQ person, and she’s also a very dishonest person, and she ought to get the hell out of our country. She shouldn’t be here. She shouldn’t be in our country,” Trump said. “She also calls her brother husband number one.”
