WASHINGTON – The annual gala cheer of the White House press service returned on Saturday night with the roast of Washington, the journalists who cover it, and the man who headed it: President Joe Biden.
At a dinner of the White House Correspondents Association, which moved away from the pandemics in 2020 and 2021, Biden was the first president in six years to accept the invitation. Donald Trump avoided this event while in office.
“Just imagine if my predecessor came to this dinner this year,” Biden told an audience of 2,600 people, including journalists, government officials and celebrities. “Now it really would be a real coup.”
The president took the opportunity to test his comedy chops, highlighting the criticism he faced during his 15 months in office, targeting his predecessor, the Republican Party and the press.
“I’m excited to be here tonight with the only group of Americans with a lower rating than me,” Biden said in a Hilton auditorium filled with media.
Biden also highlighted the slogan “Come on, Brandon” who became an advocate of the right for swearing at the president.
“Republicans seem to support one guy, some guy named Brandon,” Biden said, causing laughter in the crowd. “He’s had a really good year. I’m happy for him.”
As for the GOP roast, he said: “I can’t say anything about the GOP that Kevin McCarthy hasn’t recorded on tape yet.”
He also received a hit in Fox News. “I know there are a lot of questions about whether we should gather here tonight because of COVID. Well, we are here to show the country that we are experiencing this pandemic. “In addition, everyone has to prove that they are fully vaccinated and strengthened,” Biden said. “Just talk to your favorite Fox News reporter. They’re all here. Vaccinated and strengthened.”
In addition to performances by Biden and comedian Trevor Noah, the multi-hour event featured scenes from talk show host James Corden, comedian Bill Eichner and even Biden himself.
“Thank you for being here,” Noah told Biden. “And I was a little embarrassed why I was, but then I was told that you get the highest ratings when an African man of two races is standing next to you.”
Although much of the speech was filled with sharp injections, Biden noted the important role that journalism plays in American democracy, especially in the last decade.
“I mean with all my heart that you, the free press, are more important than ever in the last century,” he said. “You are the keepers of the truth.”
There were other highlights at the dinner, honoring the pioneers of color journalists, beginning student reporters, and the dedication of journalists detained, wounded, or killed during the coverage of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The premiere event for the media in Washington, DC, reporters mixed Washington journalists such as Jake Tepper of CNN and Joy-Ann Reed of MSNBC, with celebrities Kim Kardashian, Pete Davidson, Brooke Shields, Caitrun Germain and Caitlin Gerner. Among the large number of government officials and other celebrities was Secretary of State Anthony Blinken.
Accompanied by the First Lady, the President came to the event, trying to find a balance with a nation that was tired of the pandemic but faced with a rise in infections. The constant national threat has struck the president closer to home: last week, Vice President Kamala Harris gave a positive result, and Dr Anthony Foci missed a dinner for health reasons.
In the US, there has been a surge in cases of COVID-19 from the highly contagious subunit of omicron, with the number of confirmed infections rising to about 44,000 a day, up from 26,000 a month ago. However, virus mortality and hospitalization were close to or at the pandemic minimum, with option BA.2 proving to be less severe than previous virus strains.
After a recent lunch for the Gridiron Club press in Washington, dozens of attendees, including members of Congress, Biden’s cabinet and journalists, gave a positive result at COVID-19. The White House Correspondents Association said it requires antigen testing on the same day for dinner visitors before the Gridiron outbreak, and then added a vaccination requirement.
The 79-year-old Biden decided to give up food, but appeared later on the program. Although he planned to be in a mask when not speaking, the unmasked president greeted the award winners on the podium, and during dinner he could be seen smiling broadly.
Lunch reporters debuted in 1921. Three years later, Calvin Coolidge became the first president to attend, and since then everyone except Trump. However, Jimmy Carter and Richard Nixon decided not to visit each year of their presidency, and Reagan, recovering from the assassination attempt, missed part of 1981, but called from Camp David.
“I think it points to a healthy relationship,” said Harald Holzer, author of Presidents vs. the Press and director of the Roosevelt House Public Policy Institute at Hunter College in New York City. “Still prickly, there are still tense moments. But that’s okay. “
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Associated Press writer Zick Miller contributed to this report.
Biden Roasts Himself Trump, Republican Reputation at Correspondents’ Dinner :: WRAL.com
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