President Biden took the stage at the annual White House Correspondents Dinner on Saturday and cracked jokes about his old age.
Biden spoke before a crowd of nearly 3,000 journalists, celebrities and Washington insiders at the Washington Hilton in Washington, D.C., as hundreds of anti-Israel protesters rallied outside.
The black-tie annual event gives Biden a major platform to speak to voters — and flex his sense of humor — while his approval rating sits at a historic low ahead of the November election.
Biden, 81, made jokes to make light of voters’ concerns about electing him into office for another four years in his advanced age.
“The 2024 election is in full swing. And yes. Age is an issue. I’m a grown man running against a 6-year-old,” the president quipped about his opponent, former President Donald Trump.
“I feel great, I really feel great,” he assured the crowd. “I’m campaigning all over the country. Pennsylvania, Georgia, North Carolina — I’ve always done well in the original 13 colonies.”
He also took some jabs at himself, saying that at last year’s dinner his wife told him she was nervous about his speech.
“I said to her ‘Don’t worry, it’s just like riding a bike. She said ‘that’s what I’m worried about’,” he joked about his infamous bike fall in Delaware in 2022.
Biden also took the offensive against Trump, poking fun at his strange, rambling speech in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, in which he reminisced about the Civil War battle there.
“Trump’s speech was so embarrassing that the statue of Robert E Lee surrendered again,” Biden said.
“Age is the only thing we only have in common,” he said about himself and Trump, who is 77.
“My vice president actually endorses me,” he teased the former president for not receiving the endorsement of his vice president Mike Pence.
Biden also lampooned the former president and his ongoing Stormy Daniels hush money trial in Manhattan: “Donald has had tough few days lately — you might call it stormy weather.”
“I’ve had a great stretch since the State of the Union. Donald has had a tough few days lately — you might call it stormy weather,” he said.
Biden also couldn’t resist going after Trump’s ego.
“Trump so desperately started reading those bibles he’s selling, then he got to the first commandment, ‘You should have no other God before me.’ That’s when he put it down and said this book’s not for me,” the president said.
Following Biden’s 10-minute speech, Saturday Night Live Weekend Update co-host Colin Jost roasted the president, politicians and media.
Jost did not hold back on making fun of Biden’s age.
After a photo of Jost from his high school days was shown on the screen, the comic said it’s not fair that Biden couldn’t be embarrassed with a high school photo “because the technology wasn’t invented yet.”
“I was excited to be up here on stage with President Biden tonight, mostly to see if I could figure out where Obama was pulling the strings from,” he joked.
“I got to be honest, It’s not easy following Biden. I mean it’s not easy following what he’s saying,” Jost added.
Trump also caught lots of flak from the SNL veteran.
“I also just wanted to point out, it’s 10 p.m. and Sleepy Joe is still awake, while Donald Trump has spent the last week falling asleep in court every morning,” Jost said.
Jost also cracked about his favorite hometown newspaper, The New York Post.
“Apologies to the New York Times, but as a Staten Islander, I get all my news from the New York Post. The only paper where the front page always has the same 200-point font, whether the headline is ‘World War Three to Start Tomorrow’ or ‘Central Park Owl Dead in Building Collision,’” the comic joked.
Ahead of Saturday’s event, Jeffrey Katzenberg, co-chair of Biden’s reelection campaign, reportedly held daily strategy sessions this week with his campaign team fine-tuning Biden’s comedy set, which was drafted by speechwriter Vinay Reddy, CNN reported.
Over several hours, including a four-hour session Friday night, Biden aides worked with the president to tweak his delivery and tone, according to the outlet.
One of the most pressing issues for the incumbent president going into the election is Israel’s war in Gaza, which has lost him vital support among left-leaning Democrats, imperiling his reelection prospects.
Hundreds of pro-Palestinian protesters gathered outside the Washington D.C. Hilton in force ahead of Saturday’s dinner, harassing the well-dressed guests as they walked into the event.
A massive Palestinian flag was draped over the side of the hotel, video shows. Other protesters stormed the red carpet as celebrities snapped photos behind them.
Palestinian supporters have repeatedly dubbed Biden “Genocide Joe” for his ongoing support for Israel’s war, which has left some 34,000 Gazans dead. He’s most recently come under fire this week for signing a $95 billion foreign aid package, which includes $26 billion for Israel.
The White House Correspondents Dinner raises money annually for scholarships for students looking to pursue a career in journalism.
At last year’s dinner, Biden promised to free Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who was arrested in Moscow on espionage charges last March.
This week, a full year later, a Moscow court rejected the journalist’s appeal to be released from pretrial detention, meaning the 32-year-old will remain behind bars until at least June 30.
Biden reiterated his vow to bring Gershkovich home, as his parents sat in the audience.
“We’re doing everything we can to bring home fellow journalists,” he said.
