“I believe in the First Amendment, and not just because my good friend Jimmy Madison wrote it,” President Joe Biden joked at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner on Saturday.
“I had a lot of jokes ready about Ron DeSantis, but Mickey Mouse beat me to it and got there first,” laughed POTUS, wearing Disney jackets, in the Washington Hilton audience. In case you missed it, the House of Mouse finally indicted the GOP’s rising presidential nominee for his attacks on the company and the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando.
After announcing his re-election campaign and the chaos on cable news this week, President Joe Biden had a wealth of material to draw upon. And if you thought POTUS didn’t like to mention Tucker Carlson and Don Lemon’s removal from Fox News and CNN respectively, MAGA’s entry into the GOP and DeSantis’ failed war with Disney, you clearly weren’t reading tonight’s ballroom .
“I understand that age is a very meaningful subject,” the 80-year-old president joked in a relatively brief appearance. “Everybody thinks about it, by everybody I mean it New York Times“I love Rupert Murdoch,” Biden said of the 93-year-old Fox News owner. “How can I hate a man who makes me look like Harry Styles?”
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“You say I’m over the hill,” the self-deprecating Biden said. “Don Lemon would say this is a man in his prime,” the president joked, referring to Nikki Haley’s possible retirement earlier this year when she announced her 2024 bid for the White House. The Lemon joke easily got the biggest laugh of the night from the seasoned audience packed with CNN executives and anchors.
Discussing his own bid for the White House, Biden added: “The job’s not done. I mean, she’s done for Tucker Carlson.”
Laughing and groaning for making a joke about longtime critic Carlson, Biden leaned deeper into Murdoch’s conservative exit. “Fox News is owned by Dominion Voting Systems,” POTUS said, discussing the $787.5 million settlement the broadcaster reached earlier this month to avoid what appeared to be an embarrassing public defamation. Explaining that Fox News reporters were in the house because they “couldn’t say no to a free meal,” Biden added, “I called Fox honest, fair, and sincere and could be sued for defamation.”
While Biden was in fine form tonight, it was a while before he really got to POTUS and the comedy.
After a pre-recorded Cold Open of sorts by former California Premier Arnold Schwarzenegger, the WHCD presented awards by WHCA President and huge Holly Hunter fan Tamara Keith. There were tributes to journalists Gwen Ifill and Bill Plante, some questionable White House renovation advice from the Property Brothers, and some reminders of the harsh realities of the world and the current state of the press. When it was Biden’s turn to take the stage in the Washington Hilton’s ballroom, the place was looking for fun.
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After proving his ability to stay in satire and speak seriously against the times during last year’s WHCD headliner with Trevor Noah, Biden took the opportunity to host the second personal nerd prom of his presidency to Beltway- meeting insiders and giving them more of what they’re looking for – which bodes well for 2024.
But not without first talking to those who couldn’t be in the room tonight.
“The free press is a pillar of a free society, not the enemy,” the president told the crowd, citing Thomas Jefferson and supporting the family of WSJ Reporter Evan Gershkovich, who was jailed by the Putin regime earlier this month on charges of botched espionage. Referring to the presence of Austin Tice’s family, who had been trapped in Syria for years, a stern Biden added: “Journalism is not a crime, Evan and Austin should be released along with every other American illegally in the hosted abroad.” Captured… I’m working like hell to get her home.
In a DC ballroom full of guests wearing #FreeEvan badges, former Putin prisoner and CBS guest star WNBA Brittney Griner was summoned by the president and received a standing ovation. Biden also highlighted that the media trades in “telling lies for profit and power” — although POTUS never mentioned Fox by name here.
Disney’s Bob Iger Saturday
Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images
Between those in power, journalists, experts and senior members of the politics and entertainment interface, around 2,600 people gathered tonight for the WHCD. It’s a tight squeeze that seems to worry several VIPs who aren’t used to the squeeze. Among the Hollywood heavyweights spotted were Disney CEO Bob Iger, Paramount Global monarch Shari Redstone, Warner Bros Discovery Chief Corporate Affairs Officer David Leavy, Fox News CEO Suzanne Scott Entertainment, Disney Co-Chair Dana Walden and media mogul Bryan Allen.
Also in the ballroom were Oscar winners Ke Huy Quan, Rosario Dawson, successor’s J. Smith Cameron, John Legend & Chrissy Teigen and Bravo’s Lisa Vanderpump and Ariana Madix Vanderpump rulesS. John Leguizamo, SNL‘s internal Biden and Donald Trump James Austin Johnson, Caitlyn Jenner, SAG-AFTRA Chairwoman Fran Drescher, It’s usJustin Hartley, Plumber in the White House Star Lena Headey and Ray Donovan Liev Schreiber himself was also present, bravely posing for photos with a parade of participants.
The Washington Hilton Ballroom
Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images
In addition to the celebrities and executives, both First Family and Second Family attended for the first time since 2016, with VP Kamala Harris and Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff joining the Bidens at the head table.
With Roy Wood Jr. Biden had a tough task ahead of him tonight as the main leader of WHCD 2023. Competition sharp, The Daily Show The correspondent apparently performed his WHCD routine to an unsuspecting audience at a DC comedy club, we hear.
Not that the President didn’t go down without a fight.
“I agree with your jokes, but I’m not sure about Dark Brandon,” Biden told Wood from the podium, dramatically donning his signature aviators.
Ted Johnson contributed to this report.
Source: Deadline
Elizabeth Cabrera is an author and journalist who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a talent for staying up-to-date on the latest news and trends, Elizabeth is dedicated to delivering informative and engaging articles that keep readers informed on the latest developments.
