Chuck Todd offers surprising take on Trump skipping White House Correspondents' Dinner

NBC News anchor Chuck Todd gave a surprising take Monday night about President Donald Trump's decision to not attend the annual White House Correspondents' Dinner in Washington, D.C., on Saturday and instead opting to attend a campaign-style rally in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

Todd appeared on TBS' "Conan" where he spoke with host Conan O'Brien about Trump not attending one of the most popular events in Washington, D.C.

“I get why he [Trump] skipped it," Todd told O'Brien. “He’s not good at self-deprecation."

Todd said that he thought Trump's decision not to attend the annual event was "wise, just for his own self-esteem."

Traditionally, the White House Correspondents' Dinner is where reporters, anchors, politicians, and usually the president, set aside whatever beefs they might have with one another and enjoy a lighthearted, humor-filled night. That humor often comes in the form of self-deprecating jokes.

For example, President Barack Obama once joked at a correspondents dinner that he was no longer the "strapping young socialist" he once was.

The last time Trump attended a White House Correspondents' Dinner was in 2011. That's when Obama famously singled out Trump over everything from his birther claims to his hairstyle.

Todd noted that some have speculated it was partly this moment that pushed Trump to run for president in the first place.

"The idea that you're embarrassed by what was said about you at the White House Correspondents' Dinner makes you want to become president, and then you pull it off, is one of the craziest things I've ever heard in my life," O'Brien said.

"And yet, this point is as believable as anything," Todd said.

The NBC  News anchor also recalled Trump's awkward appearance at the Al Smith Dinner, an event where presidential candidates traditionally set their differences aside for one night of lighthearted, self-deprecating humor.

Todd added: "He [Trump] does not know how to self-deprecate. He does not know how to do that. If you don’t know how to do that, don’t do it.”

"He was smart not to do it and look at the split screen. He's there rallying with people in the heartland of Pennsylvania and there's a bunch of us in black ties," Todd said. "Politically, he [Trump] won the split screen."

(H/T: Daily Caller)