President Joe Biden punched his predecessor and mocked his own age at the annual event White House Correspondents’ Dinner on Saturday, when a sizable group of pro-Palestine protesters outside the venue highlighted the problems his campaign faces amid criticisms about its management of the war in Gaza.
“Of course, the 2024 elections are in full swing, and yes, age is an issue: I’m a grown man running against a 6-year-old,” Biden said, referring to former President Donald Trump, whom called it “sleepy”. Wear.”
Speaking to a crowd of nearly 3,000 journalists, celebrities and politicians, Biden added: “Age is the only thing we have in common. My vice president really supports me.”
The president drew a contrast between his reelection campaign, which has intensified since his State of the Union address last month, and Trump’s, who spent less time on the trail amid his speech. criminal trial in New York related to an alleged hush-hush payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels.
“I’ve had a great time since the State of the Union, but Donald has had some rough days lately,” Biden said. “You might call it ‘thunderstorm’ weather.”
The other main attraction of the night, Colin Jost of “Saturday Night Live,” also addressed Trump’s legal troubles, beginning his performance with: “Can we just acknowledge how refreshing it is to see a president of the United States at an event that doesn’t begin with a law enforcement official saying, ‘All rise.’ ?”
Jost also poked fun at both candidates’ ages: “I’m not saying both candidates are old, but you know Jimmy Carter is out there thinking, ‘Maybe I could win this.'”
Although Biden delivered these speeches rather, continuing a tradition that dates back to Calvin Coolidge, the stakes for what could be his last White House Correspondents’ Dinner were high. His approval rating is declining, and voters and donors alike have raised questions about whether he has the mental acuity for the task. This year’s dinner also came as pro-Palestine protests broke out on college campuses across the country.
Pro-Palestinian demonstrations followed Biden across the country for months, and Saturday was no different. When journalists and celebrities entered the Washington Hilton, protesters accused them of supporting the president’s handling of the Israel-Hamas war, shouting, “Shame on you!” while urging them to speak out against the murder of journalists in Gaza. Since the Hamas attacks on October 7, at least 97 journalists – 92 of them Palestinians – have been killed in the region, according to the Committee to Protect Journalistsa non-profit organization that tracks the death toll.
“It’s a shame that people are attending this White House Correspondents’ Dinner when journalists in Gaza have called for a boycott of this. … Every single person inside is choosing to side with history that is on the side of profit over freedom,” said Mimi Ziad, a member of the Palestinian Youth Movement, one of the organizers of the protest.
While Biden’s speech struck serious notes, including highlighting press freedom and the danger he said a second Trump presidency poses to democracy, the president did not mention the war in Gaza.
Inside the Biden team’s preparation
When Biden made comments announcing that he had signed critical legislation sending $61 billion in aid to Ukraine and $26 billion in aid to Israel and Gaza, there was a new critic at the ready: Jeffrey Katzenbergco-chair of Biden’s re-election campaign and former head of content studio Dreamworks.
Katzenberg has often advised Biden on messaging to donors and voters. This week, he was on hand to see how Biden delivered scripted material — and to help the 81-year-old president deliver jokes to the reporters covering him.
“He’s the Hollywood guy,” a government official told CNN. “He is the artist.”
Administration officials said Katzenberg led daily strategy sessions with aides at the White House residence this week to fine-tune the Biden comedy scenario devised by longtime speechwriter Vinay Reddy.
The group reached consensus on the material a day earlier than in previous years, when top aides were forced to dress for the West Wing event because they were too close to a deadline.
The White House also sought to ensure that Jost spread his barbs across the political spectrum and shared that concern with Kelly O’Donnell, president of the White House Correspondents’ Association and senior White House correspondent for NBC News.
“Our dinner entertainment is most successful when it is aimed at both parties and the national media,” O’Donnell told CNN. “This has been a repeated part of our behind-the-scenes discussions at every stage of this year’s planning. That is the intention of the WHCA every year.”
Flexing Biden’s sense of humor
Biden in recent weeks has been taking jabs at Trumpmocking his hair, the falling stock price of his social media company and his Trump-branded Bibles to take away from some of the coverage the former president is receiving during his criminal trial.
“I didn’t have the opportunity to watch the court proceedings because I was on the campaign trail,” Biden told his supporters at a campaign reception in New York on Thursday.
While Biden has increasingly used comedy to go after Trump, his default rhetorical style is generally not looking for a joke.
“He used the expression ‘It’s not a joke, guys’ more than he told actual jokes,” said a former aide.
When it comes time to deliver a comedic speech, the task of writing it is typically a group affair, with jokes sent in from different parts of Biden’s orbit. Katzenberg, in particular, urged Biden to include more self-deprecating jokes about his age.
Employees – even those who are not on the speech-writing team – submit joke ideas, some of which make the speech and others of which are discarded.
Biden, when he was vice president, also sought outside help for comedic speeches he gave at the annual Gridiron dinner and other light-hearted settings. Among those Biden turned to was Jon Macks, a top writer on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” who has also written hosting material for dozens of Oscar ceremonies. One person involved in the process when Biden was vice president recalled a presentation by Seth Meyers, then the head writer for “Saturday Night Live.”
Political ramifications of past dinners
Although dinners are supposed to be joyful, Biden switched between being funny and serious during previous speeches, underlining the broad political ramifications the event could have.
When Trump attended the 2011 dinner as a guest, President Barack Obama mocked the then-reality TV star, mocking the baseless and false “birther” conspiracy theory that Trump had been promoting, as well as his time on “The Apprentice.”
“You didn’t blame Lil Jon or Meatloaf. You fired Gary Busey,” Obama said, joking about Trump’s experience in difficult situations. “And that’s the kind of decision that would keep me up at night.”
Obama said that line gave the green light to the attack that would lead to the death of Osama bin Laden shortly before attending the dinner. Many speculated that Obama’s treatment of Trump at the 2011 dinner inspired the latter to run for president. During his term, Trump Did not attend the dinner.
Asked before the weekend whether Biden was looking forward to or dreading the dinner, a senior adviser insisted to CNN that the president enjoys the event because he enjoys spending time with reporters.
But the counselor quickly added, “I don’t think he would ever admit that.”
This story and headline have been updated with additional developments.
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