The Gridiron Club Dinner in Washington, D.C., snubbed President Donald Trump by refusing to toast to the sitting president, breaking with 140 years of tradition.
Gridiron President Judy Woodruff reportedly raised her glass on Saturday night but deviated from the customary practice of offering a toast to the current president.
“A toast to the First Amendment,” she said.
Former White House press secretary Sean Spicer called this move an “elitist” gesture.
This is how much the DC elitest media hates Trump
For the first time in the 140-year history of the Gridiron Club Dinner, those gathered did not offer the traditional toast to the sitting U.S. president.
— Sean Spicer (@seanspicer) March 16, 2025
“This is how much the D.C. elitist media hates Trump,” Spicer said.
“For the first time in the 140-year history of the Gridiron Club Dinner, those gathered did not offer the traditional toast to the sitting U.S. president,” Spicer added.
Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and other Trump administration officials mutually snubbed the event by declining to attend.
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Joe diGenova, a former Gridiron Club Dinner member for over 20 years, encouraged Trump to withdraw the use of the U.S. Marine Corps band at the event.
“Bottom line is that Gridiron disgraced itself, not President Trump, by their actions on Saturday night. Utterly disgraceful,” diGenova, the former U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, said in a radio interview on Monday.