There was no president. There was no comedian. What remained at the White House Correspondents' Association's annual dinner on Saturday night were the journalists and the First Amendment.

The stripped-down festivities were a reflection of the somber tone in Washington at the beginning of President Donald Trump's second term, in which he has battled with the press on multiple fronts and wrested from the correspondents' association the power to decide which outlets have the most access to Trump.

Trump's deeper involvement in politics began after then-President Barack Obama roasted the New Yorker's presidential ambitions during the 2011 correspondents' dinner. He skipped the annual gala during his first term, and his absence had been widely expected this year.

The association scrapped a scheduled appearance at this year's dinner by comedian Amber Ruffin after she referred to the new administration as "kind of a bunch of murderers" on a podcast last month. The organization, a nonprofit that helps White House journalists provide robust coverage of the presidency, decided to forgo the event's traditional levity and focus on celebrating journalism.

Association President Eugene Daniels said in an email to the organization's 900 members last month that the dinner was meant to "honor journalistic excellence and a robust, independent media covering the most powerful office in the world."

The event, which raises money for journalism scholarships, remains a highlight of the Washington social calendar. The ballroom at the Washington Hilton was still packed with journalists, newsmakers and even a few celebrities. Daniels singled out Debra Tice, whose son Austin has been missing for a decade since disappearing in Syria.

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