Obama Speaks At Last White House Correspondents' Dinner As President Last Night
SAVIDGE: President Obama is getting rave reviews -- not everybody loved him, but a lot of people did for his performance at the final White House correspondents' dinner. This so-called nerd prom is Washington's yearly meeting of the political insiders and the press and of course the president and president for him it was his last chance to take a few shots media. Take a listen.</s>OBAMA: I don't want to spend too much time on the Donald. Following your lead, I want to show some restraint because I think we can all agree from the start he has gotten the appropriate amount of coverage, befitting the seriousness of his candidacy. I hope you all are proud of yourselves. I would be remiss, let's give it up for our host Larry Wilmore.</s>OBAMA: Also known as one of the two black guys who's not Jon Stewart. You're the South African guy, right? I also would like to acknowledge some of the award winning reporters that we have with us here tonight. Rachel McAdams, Mark Ruffalo, Maria Shriver. Thank you all for everything that you've done. I'm just joking. As you know, Spotlight is a film, a movie about investigative journalists with the resources and the autonomy to chase down the truth and hold the powerful accountable. Best fantasy film since "Star Wars." That was maybe a cheap shot. I understand the news business is tough these days. It keeps changing all the time. Every year at this dinner somebody makes a joke about Buzzfeed, for example, changing the media landscape and every year the "Washington Post" laughs a little bit less hard. Key staff are now starting to leave the White House. Even reporters have left me. Savannah Guthrie, she has left the White House press corps to host the "Today Show." Nora O'Donnell left the briefing room to host CBS "This Morning." Jake Tapper left journalism to join CNN.</s>SAVIDGE: I'm joined now by historian and Princeton University professor Julian Zelizer and "Washington Post" columnist Alexandra Petri. Julian, let me start with you. High expectations placed on President Obama after his previous showing. So how would you say he did? It was the last one.</s>JULIAN ZELIZER, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: It was very good. He was very skilled at these events. He took some good shots at, you know, Republicans and he took some shots as we just saw at the press, which is something I think actually matters for him so the jokes were laced with a little anger as well. But I thought he was very effective.</s>SAVIDGE: Alexandra, you know, President Obama took a few shots not just at the media but also your newspaper in particular. So how did they go over with the reporters at the "Washington Post" at the table? You know, you were looking at these reporters. You see people laughing but you wonder, do they really think that's funny?</s>ALEXANDRA PETRI, COLUMNIST, THE WASHINGTON POST: Well, I have to clarify. I was not at the table but I believe the Post knows how to laugh at journalism as sort of dying relative rolled out at the dinner table. The newspapers gets skinnier and skinnier each morning as we are watching it</s>SAVIDGE: Yes. I do find that his sense of timing and his ability to deliver a line is not just they are written for him, his delivery is phenomenal. Julian, this has become a marquee event in recent years with the public paying a lot more attention to it. So how has this dinner evolved over the years? Originally, it was just supposed to be the press and president and, you know, sort hang out and have a few drinks.</s>ZELIZER: It was. First, it was the press and president. It was all male event and that changes in the 1960s. But since the 1980s it's been a little bit Grammy and Oscar more than politics. You have the mix of celebrities there, including celebrities who play reporters, the press and president. This is all covered. So I think it become a high profile event. It certainly not informal. And that's why the jabs that he took on Republicans like Trump, even a little on Hillary Clinton and on the press actually, you know, might resonate and gets some airtime out there. So this is an event now that matters.</s>SAVIDGE: It does. I mean, I enjoy it because I get o to see a different side of the president of the United States I don't normally get to see. Alexandra, you know, the other person up there was the comedian Larry Wilmore. I got to say, you know, of course it's a tough act to follow the president of the United States. But he did not get a very good reception, did he?</s>PETRI: Well, the poor room was full of groaners. And I think the president, he is hard act to follow as I'm sure Donald Trump will discover ultimately. But I always wonder who is sitting in the audience because back in 2011 when Seth Myers was, grilling Donald Trump so</s>SAVIDGE: Well, I'm just shock at how many correspondents who are apparently covering the White House these days because that place was packed. Who all is there, Julian?</s>ZELIZER: Well, you know, the press right now, which we talk as the singular thing is quite vast from the internet to cable to the newspaper. So just packing all the White House correspondents from the various outlets there already takes up a lot of room. You have guests but now you also have celebrities. So you have, you know, people from television shows that play politicians like the president on "Scandal" or who played reporters. And so, you know, again, as this becomes an elevated event, more people are coming into this beyond the White House correspondents.</s>SAVIDGE: Well, I'm with you, Alexandra. I think that maybe President Obama should just become the annual host. Julian Zelizer, thank you very much. Alexandra Petri, thank you for joining me.</s>PETRI: Thank you.</s>ZELIZER: Thanks.</s>SAVIDGE: Good to see you. Donald Trump's expected to hold a rally in Indiana. That will be at the top of the hour. We're there and we'll take you there live so stay here.