Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

The Weekend That Defined Obama, Provoked Trump—and Changed History
Newsweek ^ | Apr 25, 2025 | Carlo Versano

Posted on 07/18/2025 7:11:24 PM PDT by MinorityRepublican

It may not be the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, but when historians write the definitive story of the first half of the 21st century in the U.S., a single weekend in the spring of 2011 may well go down as the era's hinge point—a 48-hour period that set into motion a string of events still unraveling now, 14 years later.

That weekend, President Barack Obama authorized the mission to kill Osama bin Laden and kept it secret from the world as he delivered a cutting speech that brought down the house at the White House Correspondents' Dinner. What no one knew at the time was that Obama's remarks were laying the groundwork for the killing of the customs and traditions that underpinned the relationship between the American presidency and the press that covers it.

Now, almost a decade-and-a-half later, the glitzy tentpole event for the Washington media establishment is a shadow of its former self, boycotted and browbeaten by President Donald Trump and his supporters.

The long and irrevocable decline of the dinner and the norms that once defined the Beltway establishment—as well as the current political force ripping through it—were all planted that night, historians and others who spoke to Newsweek said, with Obama's lampooning of Trump to the laughter of a room full of tuxedo-clad D.C. power brokers and their guests.

Busy for a Saturday

April 30, 2011, was a warm spring day in Washington, and the White House was oddly abuzz for a weekend. As Obama met with his speechwriters to put the polish on his keynote for that evening's White House Correspondents' Association Dinner across town, a small cadre of his top national security advisers were huddled below the White House in the Situation Room,

(Excerpt) Read more at newsweek.com ...


TOPICS: History
KEYWORDS: carloversano; demagogicparty; democrats; dnctalkingpoint; dnctalkingpoints; mediawingofthednc; newsweek; partisanmediashill; partisanmediashills
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-32 last
To: MinorityRepublican

Bookmark


21 posted on 07/18/2025 10:38:19 PM PDT by Chgogal (Voting Democrat is suicidal.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: MinorityRepublican

Who own Nesweek now? I notice they have some decent pieces now, that while still tilting to the left, not overtly like NYT or CNN. I also know at least one Editor-at-large is a conservative.


22 posted on 07/19/2025 12:24:54 AM PDT by paudio (MATH: 45<47)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: MinorityRepublican
But I'm not sure about Seth Meyer...

Seth Meyer do whatever da boss-man tell 'em ta do.
23 posted on 07/19/2025 12:47:44 AM PDT by know.your.why
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 20 | View Replies]

To: MinorityRepublican
The rest of the story: Obama knew where Osama was for [about 6?] months and refused to approve the kill mission. Just before Obama finally agreed to the mission, the fake birth certificate story was rapidly accelerating. The Osama killing wiped the birth certificate story totally out of the news except for mockery. The media treated Obama like a hero, and no one wanted to go against that strong narrative.
24 posted on 07/19/2025 1:56:54 AM PDT by UnwashedPeasant (The pandemic we suffer from is not COVID. It is Marxist Democrat Leftism. )
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: nagant
Show me Bin Laden’s body.

High-def even.


25 posted on 07/19/2025 2:17:46 AM PDT by Libloather (Why do climate change hoax deniers live in mansions on the beach?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 15 | View Replies]

To: MinorityRepublican

Basically Obama effed around that night at the correspondents dinner and found out . Now his name has been uttered in the same breath with “treason” . And ain’t it great that the demon party normalized prosecuting former presidents? …film at eleven…


26 posted on 07/19/2025 3:58:46 AM PDT by TalBlack (Their god is government. Prepare for a religious war.https://freerepublic.com/perl/post?id=4322961%2)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: MinorityRepublican

I have that Frontline show recorded. I watch it again every now and then. It’s awesome. It’s the beginning of FAFO.


27 posted on 07/19/2025 5:59:10 AM PDT by SomeCallMeTim
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: tumblindice

yes he is indeed. Especially that second part.


28 posted on 07/19/2025 6:51:06 AM PDT by ronniesgal ( so is it okay that I said that??? GO TRUMP GO!!!!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 17 | View Replies]

To: MinorityRepublican
The long and irrevocable decline ... were all planted that night,

The press brought on their decline on their decline by DECADES of lying and distorted stories, not just one night. See Tagline.

29 posted on 07/19/2025 7:14:30 AM PDT by libertylover (The HBM (Has Been Media) is almost all AGENDA-DRIVEN, not-truth driven.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Libloather

All I see is a coffin.


30 posted on 07/19/2025 7:44:04 AM PDT by nagant
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 25 | View Replies]

To: MinorityRepublican

I’m so glad you posted this retrospective on what most of us conservatives had been very aware of at the time.

The author tries to balance his tiresome lefty bias against Trump by criticizing Obama’s handling of Afghanistan, having nothing whatsoever to do with his main thesis—that the left and the media (but I repeat myself) are rightfully enraged that the scurrillous birther Trump eventually won the presidency in spite of Obie-Wan and other comedians attempting to humiliate Trump in front of their precious Nerd Prom.

Voters actually didn’t like the poliitics of destruction coming from the elites, he speculates, and it made the stylish and clever people lose, and that was a bad move. Who really cares about the People, the principles, the constitutional purpose of a free press—nah. Not when all the media’s gay-wannabes can land like hornets on a patriot they want everyone to loathe as much as they do.


31 posted on 07/19/2025 10:10:59 AM PDT by Albion Wilde (Think about it: The Supreme Court is nine lawyers appointed for life by politicians. —David Horowitz)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: DesertRhino
Obama’s humor always consisted of mockery of others... Reagan, he would sometimes make jokes about himself. But he never belittled anyone else.

This is as close as he ever came. Even the guy he poked fun at laughed:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T-kGUyqOpFA

32 posted on 07/19/2025 10:48:11 AM PDT by Albion Wilde (Think about it: The Supreme Court is nine lawyers appointed for life by politicians. —David Horowitz)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 12 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-32 last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson