In which the annual White House Correspondents’ Dinner was held on Saturday President Biden Politicians, journalists and celebrities joined in for the election year, against the backdrop of protests over the Israel–Hamas war and conflict.
The event featured a mockumentary of the President by comedian Colin Jost, who also made jokes targeting the media and Republican politicians, including former President Trump and Representative Matt Gaetz of Florida.
“Like many of you tonight, I pretend to be on the news,” Jost told the crowd, referring to his “Saturday Night Live” skit.
Hundreds of pro-Palestinian protesters gathered outside the event to condemn Biden’s support for Israel and Western media coverage of the war. That’s because anti-Israel protests have occurred on American college campuses in recent weeks.
President Joe Biden speaks with comedian Colin Jost during the White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA) dinner in Washington, DC. (Getty Images)
“You should be ashamed of yourself!” Chants of Israel and “Free Palestine” were heard as guests in suits and long dresses filed in for dinner. Protesters accused American journalists of not covering the war adequately and of misrepresenting it when they did cover it.
Protesters chanted, “Western media we see you, and all the horrors you hide.”
Inside the event, Biden, 81, joked about his age, also using the dinner as an opportunity take aim at trumpHis top rival for the 2024 presidential election.
“Yes, age is an issue and I’m a grown man running around pretending to be a six-year-old kid,” Biden said, referring to Trump.
The president said, “Look, age is the only thing we have in common. My vice president really supports me,” while former Vice President Mike Pence has refused to endorse his former vice president.
Biden also mocked accusations that Congress is political theater, and used the opportunity to cite GOP Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado was thrown out of a theater last year for groping her date.
The president said, “Being here is a reminder that people think what’s going on in Congress is political theater.” “That’s not true. If Congress were a theater, they would have thrown Lauren Boebert out a long time ago.”
President Joe Biden stands for the Pledge of Allegiance during the White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA) dinner in Washington, DC (Getty Images)
media shops Biden has recently been heavily criticized for not granting interviews to mainstream outlets such as the New York Times or the Wall Street Journal. Biden skipped his Super Bowl interview with CBS News in February after canceling last year’s Super Bowl interview with Fox News.
In addition to limiting journalists’ access to Biden for interviews, he has also held fewer press conferences than his predecessors.
Instead of giving interviews with traditional news media, Biden recently sat down with radio host Howard Stern and late-night host Seth Myers.
“To all my friends in the press and at Fox News, my standards are high,” Biden said Saturday. “I do interviews with strong independent journalists that millions of people actually listen to, like Howard Stern.”
Jost’s roast included mentions of Biden’s age, Trump’s legal affairs, and independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s chances of winning the election.
“I didn’t know you were going to show my high school pictures,” Jost said. “It’s really not fair. You can’t do that to President Biden because the technology wasn’t invented when he was in high school.”
“How refreshing is it to see a president at an event that doesn’t start with a bailiff telling everyone to get up?” Jost added. “And, I should point out, it’s after 10 p.m., Sleepy Joe is still awake. Whereas Trump has spent the last week sleeping in court every morning.”
President Joe Biden sits next to comedian Colin Jost during the White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA) dinner in Washington, DC (Getty Images)
Jost continued, “The Republican nominee for President owes half a billion in fines for bank fraud and is currently spending his days awake during a porn star’s money trial and the race is tied? The race is tied. But I don’t understand anything now.”
Referencing Kennedy Jr.’s stance against vaccines, Jost joked, “As it says on his vaccine card, he has had no vaccine.”
Click here to get the Fox News app
The comedian compared the accomplishments of Biden and former President Obama, saying, “Obama got (Osama) bin Laden, you got OJ (Simpson).”
Jost also told the president that he reminds him of his grandfather.
“Some of your best qualities remind me of him,” Jost said, referring to Biden’s fall on the stairs of Air Force One. And, I will say, he was 95, and he was still very good on the stairs. ” “I think it’s because he didn’t try to shoo them off.”
