Joe Biden showed no mercy to Donald Trump with a series of caustic jokes about his election rival, telling a gathering of Washington's political and media elites: “I'm a grown man running against a 6-year-old.'' he said.
Saturday night's White House Correspondents Association (WHCA) dinner is ideal for Biden to continue his recent run against Trump with more aggressive rhetoric, fresh humor and personal insults. It became a popular place.
But the cheerful atmosphere inside was in sharp contrast to the raucous demonstrations outside the Washington Hilton Hotel. Hundreds of demonstrators chanted “shame!” He criticized White House officials, journalists and celebrities who arrived at the dinner, and criticized Biden's response to the Gaza war and media coverage.
As speculation intensified about a debate between the two men, Mr. Biden, dressed in a tuxedo and black tie, began by focusing directly but playfully on Mr. Trump, calling him “sleepy,'' a reference to Mr. Trump's previous nickname for the president. “Don” he called.
“The 2024 election is in full swing, and age certainly matters,” said Biden, 81. “I'm a grown man running against a 6-year-old.”
The president also skewered Trump for a recent speech in which he described the civil war battle at Gettysburg as “interesting,” “vicious,” “horrible” and “beautiful.” “Speaking of history, did you hear what Donald just said about a major civil war battle?” Biden said. “Gettysburg, wow!” Trump's speech was so embarrassing that Robert E. Lee's statue surrendered again. ”
Mr. Biden then addressed his rift with former Vice President Mike Pence, who rebelled against Mr. Trump over the results of the 2020 election. The president said, “The only thing we have in common is age. In fact, the vice president supports me, too.'' Vice President Kamala Harris, who was sitting near the stage, laughed and applauded.
The president moved forward with Trump's criminal trial in New York, where he was charged with falsifying business records to conceal hush money payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels. “Donald has had some tough days lately. You might call it stormy weather,” Biden said.
And he brought up Trump's recent plan to sell the “God Bless the USA Bible” for $59.99. “Mr. Trump got so desperate that he started reading the Bibles he was selling. Then he got to his first commandment: 'You shall have no other gods before me. must not”. At that moment, he put down his book and said: “This book is not for me.”
Biden also poked fun at his age and delivered a one-liner at the media's expense. “Some of you are complaining that I don't take enough of your questions. No comment.”
Additionally, “The New York Times issued a statement accusing me of “actively and effectively avoiding independent journalists.'' If that's what it takes to get them to say that, I'm all for it.”
The president also urged the media to continue focusing on the impact of the November election. “I'm not really asking you to take sides,” he said. “I'm asking you to rise up to the seriousness of our time, to rise above the horse racing numbers, the awkward moments, the distracting sideshows that have come to dominate and sensationalize our politics. Let’s focus on what’s actually at stake.”
Also, six months before the election in which President Trump is expected to return, comedian Colin Jost showed off his gallows humor on the television variety show “Saturday Night Live.” people”. “Based on polling in battleground states, I am honored to host the final White House Correspondents' Dinner here,” Jost said.
Jost's wife, actor Scarlett Johansson, was among the 2,600 guests who attended the dinner, along with Da'Vine Joy Randolph, Jon Hamm, and Chris Pine. The comedian said, “The last time I was in Washington, D.C., I left my cocaine at the White House. Luckily, the president was able to put it to good use in his State of the Union address.”
Naturally, Biden's age became a target. “I'm not saying both candidates are old, but you know Jimmy Carter is thinking, 'Maybe I can win this.' He's only 99 years old.”
Both speeches were well received. New Hampshire's Republican governor, Chris Sununu, criticized Biden's age but praised him, saying: “It was a victory for the president at such a late hour because he carried his speech to the end. It's never easy to tell jokes as a politician. We're not built to be funny. Don't expect us to be funny. I mean, if you're a politician, if you make us laugh a little bit, you win.”
Earlier, guests staged an anti-war demonstration outside the hotel after more than 20 Palestinian journalists in the Gaza Strip published an open letter last week calling on their colleagues in the United States to boycott the dinner. did.
“Shame!” chanted demonstrators wearing traditional Palestinian keffiyeh as they chased men in tuxedos and suits and women in long dresses carrying clutch bags as they marched to dinner. I followed the guests as they hurriedly entered the venue.
Protesters shouted, “Shame on you for breaking bread!” and “Every time the media lies, a journalist in Gaza dies.” They carried placards that read “ABC: Always Bullshit,” “CNN: Crime News Network,” “Two-Faced Genocide Joe,” and “Stop Media Complicity in Genocide.” They were holding up a huge banner. They lined up dozens of blue news vests, broken cameras, and displayed footage of murdered Palestinian journalists.
“More than 133 Palestinian journalists have been killed by Israeli forces in the past almost seven months,” protester Rama Khudaimi, 37, said. It's shameful that there are journalists here in the United States who are doing nothing.” At this moment, White House officials, including President Biden, are very complicit in what's going on by continuing to send weapons to Israel and denying any accountability for the war crimes committed by Israel. They are colluding with them. ”
Another demonstrator, who gave her name only as Yara, 24, said: “Since October 7, 135 Palestinian journalists have been killed at the hands of Israel. The call is not from the organizers in Washington, D.C. It is from the Palestinians in Gaza, so we are asking people to heed the call and boycott tonight's dinner.
She added: “This symbolizes that if everyone in the room doesn't care about press murder, they don't care about press freedom.”
Biden's speech, which lasted about 10 minutes, did not mention the ongoing war or the growing humanitarian crisis in Gaza. One of the few mentions was by Correspondents Association president Kelly O'Donnell, who mentioned the deaths of journalists covering the war.