Don't let stereotypes fool you — historians can be funny, too.
The White House Correspondents' Association broke with tradition this year when they asked a non-comedian to deliver the keynote address at the White House Correspondents' dinner on Saturday evening. Instead, historian Ron Chernow, who wrote the Alexander Hamilton biography that inspired the hit Broadway musical Hamilton, addressed the crowd. Chernow has also written books about former presidents George Washington and Ulysses S. Grant, so he knows a thing or two about the office.
While the event was reportedly more serious than in years past, with Chernow and other speakers talking poingantly about press freedom, Chernow found the time to crack a few jokes, as well. They mostly came in the form of subtle jabs at President Trump, who did not attend the event for the third street year. He was in Green Bay, Wisconsin, at a rally for Trump supporters, instead.
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One of Chernow's strongest jokes was a veiled dig at Trump's reported befuddlement over the fact that Washington did not name Mount Vernon after himself.
Chernow closed his speech with a remark from the king of quips himself, Mark Twain. In this instance, it seems like Trump was far from the only target. Tim O'Donnell
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