The Red Letter

The Red Letter

Inside the Hilton, Access Was Easy

The Red Letter's reporter on the ground during the White House Correspondents’ Dinner describes a system built on trust, and its limits.

Abi Baker's avatar
Abi Baker
Apr 27, 2026
∙ Paid
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Welcome back to The Red Letter. As you know, I passed on a ticket to this year’s White House Correspondents’ Dinner to attend the memorial for Virginia Giuffre. But my reporter, Abi Baker, was inside the Washington Hilton as events unfolded in real time. This account is based on her firsthand reporting and has been edited by me for c…

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