President Biden dismissed criticism about his age at what could be his final White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner as the incumbent campaigns for four more years in the Oval Office.
“The 2024 elections are in full swing. And yes, age is a problem. I’m a grown man running against a six-year-old,” Biden said from behind the podium at the annual event.
“I really feel great. I’m campaigning all over the country – Pennsylvania, Georgia, North Carolina. I always did well in the original 13 colonies,” said the president, laughing.
He also attacked former President Trump, against whom he is expected to face a rematch on Election Day this fall.
“Age is the only thing we have in common. In fact, my vice president endorses me,” Biden joked, nodding at Vice President Kamala Harris. Former Vice President Mike Pence ran against Trump for the GOP endorsement this cycle and refused to support his former boss.
After a series of jokes aimed at Trump, Biden took a darker tone to talk about his 2024 rival to the room of journalists, lawmakers and celebrities.
“The defeated former president did not hide his attack on our democracy. He said he wants to be a dictator from day one and more. He tells supporters that it is his revenge and retribution. When in the name of God [have] Have you ever heard another president say something like that? Biden asked, referencing Trump’s recent comments.
“We have to take this seriously. Eight years ago you could have dismissed [that] it was just Trump talk, but no more. No later than January 6th,” Biden said, appealing to the public to “get past the horse racing numbers” and “focus on what’s really at stake.”
Biden and Trump secured the delegates needed to win their respective parties’ nominations in this year’s presidential race, setting up a repeat of the 2020 showdown. Polls predict a competitive fight – averages from The Hill/Decision Desk headquarters show Trump has fewer half a point lead over Biden, and a handful of key battlegrounds could decide the winner.
Trump notably chose not to attend the annual dinner while in office. He is also involved in an ongoing criminal trial, the first for any former president, related to a secret payment made to adult film star Stormy Daniels during his administration in 2016. That court battle, one of four criminal charges against Trump and the first to be presented to a jury, is expected to take Trump off the campaign trail four days a week for the next few weeks, which Democrats hope will be a boost for Biden.
“I’ve had a great time since the State of the Union. But Donald has had some rough days lately. You might call it ‘stormy weather,’” Biden said, attacking the judgment of silence.
Comedian Colin Jost followed Biden’s remarks at Saturday’s dinner with a speech about the incumbent and other political figures in the room, offering comic relief against a backdrop of tensions in Congress and conflicts abroad.
Protesters protested against media coverage of the Israel-Hamas war and the administration’s handling of the conflict near the Washington Hilton event space – and Biden, in particular, did not make direct reference to the protests or the conflict during his speech.
War has become a political liability for Biden as he seeks another term in the White House. Ceasefire protesters have disrupted several campaign stops and protest voting efforts have emerged in several state primaries, even winning some delegates to the Democratic national convention later this year.
Biden repeated calls he made during last year’s dinner for the release of American journalists Austin Tice, who was kidnapped while reporting from Syria in 2012, and Evan Gershkovich, the Wall Street Journal reporter detained in Russia.
“We won’t give up until we get them home,” Biden said.
Updated at 11:29 pm EST.
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