What a difference a year makes. 12 months ago, former President Joe Biden and Saturday Night Live’s Weekend Update co-anchor Colin Jost shared the stage at the 2024 White House Correspondents’ Dinner. One trip around the sun later, neither the current occupant of the Oval Office nor a late night comedian were in the house for 2025’s “Nerd Prom,” thrown in Washington, D.C. each year by the White House Correspondents’ Association. “This dinner is going to feel a little different than usual,” WHCA president Eugene Daniels—and newly-minted MSNBC weekend host—candidly acknowledged at the top of the evening, which unfolded at the Washington Hilton on Saturday. “There’s no president, there’s no comedian—it’s just us.” For the record, only one of those absences was by choice. As was the case during his first term, President Donald Trump declined to attend the annual gathering—the only modern president to regularly skip the event. (Trump spent much of Saturday in Rome attending Pope Francis’ funeral.) Late night personality Amber Ruffin was originally set to provide evening’s comic relief, but her invitation was later rescinded. Without either of those high-profile guests in attendance, the evening took on a notably different tenor and tone. And the audience in the Washington Hilton—as well as those at home—noticed the vibe shift. “Without the comedian and the president telling jokes, it’s just another black tie banquet,” Syracuse University professor and director of the Tully Center for Free Speech Roy Gutterman tells TVNewser about the experience of watching this year’s dinner. “I always enjoyed watching the presidents poking fun at the press and even themselves,” adds Gutterman, who previously wrote a piece defending comedian Michelle Wolf following her divisive 2018 appearance. “This satirical element has always been a major statement about our democracy. We really lose something without it.” In his opening remarks, Daniels explained how the evening would serve as a “celebration” of the 900 journalists and 250 news outlets that make up the WHCA, as well as the student reporters hoping to one day join their ranks. “I know this has been an extremely difficult year for all of you,” remarked the former Politico scribe. “It’s been difficult for this association. We’ve been tested, attacked. But every single day our members get up… with one mission: holding the powerful accountable.” Daniels notably never mentioned Trump by name when alluding to the WHCA’s contentious relationship with the new administration, either in his opening remarks or his address at the close of the evening. In February, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt announced that her office would oversee the press pool, effectively sidelining the WHCA from the process. At the same time, member organizations like the Associated Press and the Voice of America are fighting their individual battles with the Trump White House. The AP has been repeatedly barred from press events after declining to use the administration’s renaming of the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America. Nearly 40 news organizations—including Fox News and Newsmax—have signed a letter in support of the AP. Earlier this month, a judge ordered the White House to restore the organization’s access. Several journalists from the Associated Press were honored with WHCA awards during the dinner, and they similarly eschewed mentioning Trump directly in their speeches. Accepting his award for Excellence in Presidential News Coverage Under Deadline Pressure, White House reporter Aamer Madhani called the past few months “challenging” for he and his colleagues. “All of us are privileged to be part of the AP’s mission that advances the power of facts,” he added. “That’s what we do and what we’re going to keep doing, no matter which party is in the White House.” Meanwhile, the VOA found itself silenced on “Bloody Saturday” in March after the Trump administration issued an executive order calling for the dismantling of the U.S. Agency for Global Media, which oversees the outlet. Last week, a federal judge issued a ruling blocking that order. Daniels acknowledged the VOA’s court victory at the close of the evening. “I can’t wait until you’re back on the White House grounds to continue reporting important stories for audiences around the world,” he said to loud applause and cheers. The current WHCA president also acknowledged his successor, CBS News’ senior White House correspondent Weijia Jiang, who will become the first woman of color to lead the organization. It’ll be up to her to decide how next year’s Nerd Prom unfolds should Trump continue to absent himself. For his part, Daniels sounded an optimistic note about what lies ahead for both the WHCA and its signature event. “Despite everything I’m still optimistic about the power of what we do,” he remarked. “This board will aways defend your right to do your job.”