CNN’s Jake Tapper Takes Shot at Trump Team With WHCD Protest Gift for Stephen Colbert

CNN anchor Jake Tapper took a shot at President Donald Trump and his administration as he gave late-night host Stephen Colbert a protest gift that will be featured quietly at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.

Trump will attend his first WHCD in office this year, as will frequent press attackers like Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and FCC Chair Brendan Carr. In response, the White House Correspondents’ Association members have settled on a silent protest involving First Amendment-themed accessories like pocket squares and lapel pins.

On Monday night’s edition of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Tapper showed off his 1A paraphernalia and gifted Colbert with an accessory as he made a pointed reference to Trump administration guests who might be “unfamiliar”:

STEPHEN COLBERT: Nice to see you again. You know, I enjoy your work, but what I forget when I haven’t seen you in a while is how damn handsome you are.

CNN’S JAKE TAPPER: Oh, you’re so kind.

STEPHEN COLBERT: Thank you. And dapper. And dappper. I like the pocket square.

CNN’S JAKE TAPPER: Thank you. Oh, yeah. So this is a special freedom of the press and freedom of speech pocket square.

(AUDIENCE CHEERS WILDLY).

STEPHEN COLBERT: What’s it say? Show them the– That’s very nice.

CNN’S JAKE TAPPER: Yeah, and we’re, I’m gonna be, you know, Saturday night’s the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.

STEPHEN COLBERT: I did not know.

CNN’S JAKE TAPPER: And there are a bunch of us that are gonna be wearing these. These are from the Reporters Committee for the Free Press. Oh, okay. And, cause there might be some guests there that are unfamiliar with, uh–.

STEPHEN COLBERT: Oh, this is the first time that the president is going to be attending, right?

CNN’S JAKE TAPPER: Now that you say so, yes!

By the way, I brought you one.

STEPHEN COLBERT: Oh, that’s so lovely.

CNN’S JAKE TAPPER: And this is for Evie.

(HANDS HIM HAND FAN)

STEPHEN COLBERT: Oh, that’s very nice. Yes, my southern belle.

(SWATS TAPPER WITH FAN)

CNN’S JAKE TAPPER: I was getting fresh.

STEPHEN COLBERT: First correspondents’ dinner I ever went to was with you.

CNN’S JAKE TAPPER: Yeah, you were my date. Yeah.

It was a lot of fun. It was lot of, and then you came the next year and you dropped a nuclear bomb on the place.

STEPHEN COLBERT: Tron bomb, everybody, the building was fine.

Watch above via The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.

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