USA
Biden at the media gala dinner: appearance with jokes and seriousness
US President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden at the annual Correspondents’ Association Dinner at the White House. Photo: Patrick Semansky/AP/dpa
© dpa-infocom GmbH
The “Correspondents’ Dinner” is an institution in the US media world: in addition to journalists and Hollywood celebrities, the president is usually a star guest – and should bring a thick skin.
Jokes and serious words from US President Joe Biden at the traditional gala dinner of the Washington press corps: on Saturday evening (local time) Biden made fun of himself and others.
Right at the start, he thanked the guests for the loud applause “for the 42 percent who actually applauded” – an allusion to his approval ratings, which according to the most recent survey have dropped to 42 percent. But journalists are even less popular than he is, Biden continued to joke.
As the first president in six years, he would now attend this dinner, Biden said. “That’s understandable, we had a terrible plague, followed by two years of Covid,” the Democrat joked with a dig at his Republican predecessor. Donald Trump, who always denigrated the media as “enemies of the people”, was the first US President to stay away from the gala event in 36 years after taking office in 2017. Trump did not take part in the following years, 2018 and 2019 either.
Biden praises courage of journalists
In view of the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine, Biden also had serious words in his speech to over 2,600 guests at the Washington Hilton Hotel. He praised the courage of journalists who report on the war on the ground. Previously, nine war reporters who died in Ukraine were honored. Freedom of the press is more important today than ever, stressed Biden.
Biden handed over the microphone to comedian Trevor Noah after his speech. “Trevor, that’s the really good news – now you can tease the President of the United States and, unlike in Moscow, you won’t go to jail.”
The President is usually the star guest at the annual “Correspondents’ Dinner” for journalists accredited to the White House. Biden, who appeared with his wife Jill, continued the longstanding tradition. The gala was attended by journalists and high-ranking government officials as well as Hollywood stars, including reality star Kim Kardashian and her boyfriend, comedian Pete Davidson.
The journalists’ association has been organizing the festive evening for 100 years. In 2020 and 2021 the event was canceled due to the corona pandemic.