At the White House Correspondents’ Dinner held at the Washington Hilton Hotel, President Joe Biden took the opportunity to launch harsh criticism of former President Donald Trump, weaving humor and serious comments throughout his speech. The event, a glamorous affair meant to celebrate press freedom, provided an evening free of the typical confrontational dynamic between journalists and government officials.
TMZ reported that President Biden addressed the 2024 presidential race with humor, pointing out the age difference between him and Trump with a joke: “I’m a grown man running against a 6-year-old.” He went on to reference Trump’s recent legal challenges, particularly those related to payments to Stormy Daniels during the 2016 presidential campaign. Biden joked about the situation by saying, “I’ve had a great run since the State of the Union. Donald has had a rough few days lately; “You could call it stormy weather.”
Biden didn’t stop there; He also highlighted the lack of support from Trump’s former vice president, Mike Pence, contrasting it with the support he receives from his own vice president, proudly stating: “My vice president actually has my back.”
The president also took aim at Trump’s recent speech at Gettysburg, where Trump had offered a disjointed remembrance of the Civil War battle. Biden joked: “Trump’s speech was so embarrassing that the Robert E Lee statue gave up again.” He continued his comedic attack by mocking the $60 Bibles sold by the Trump campaign, saying: “Trump got so desperate that he started reading those Bibles he’s selling, then he got to the first commandment: ‘You should have no other gods before me ‘. That’s when he put it down and said, ‘This book is not for me.’”
According to him New York PostAmid the humor, Biden dedicated an important part of his speech to more sober reflections on the importance of democracy and the role of the free press in it. She stressed: “The stakes could not be higher. Each of us has a role to play, a serious role to play, in ensuring that democracy endures. American democracy. In an age of misinformation, having credible information that people can trust is more important than ever. “That makes you, and I say this from the bottom of my heart, that makes you more important than ever.”
After the president’s ten-minute speech, Colin Jost, co-host of Saturday Night Live’s Weekend Update, took the stage. Jost humorously speculated about former President Barack Obama’s influence on the Biden administration and mocked Biden’s speaking style. He noted, “I was excited to be here on stage with President Biden tonight, mainly to see if I could figure out where Obama was pulling the strings.” Jost also downplayed Biden’s resistance compared to Trump’s recent court appearances, commenting: “…I just wanted to point out that it’s 10 p.m. and Sleepy Joe is still awake, while Donald Trump has passed the last week falling asleep in court every morning.
The evening’s mix of satire and serious discourse highlighted the unique role of humor in addressing and reflecting on political realities, serving as entertainment and a poignant reminder of the vital functions of a free press in a democratic society.