As demonstrators outside the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner on Saturday night criticized US President Joe Biden for his backing of Israel’s war against Hamas, Biden delivered an election-year roast.
During the yearly black-tie affair, Biden took aim at the Washington press corps, made light of his own advanced age, and chastised Republican opponent Donald Trump for his lack of maturity.
Age is a concern, yes. “Against a six-year-old, I’m an adult competing.,” Biden jokingly said.
Of the then-77-year-old former president Trump, Joe Biden, then said, “Our age is the only thing we have in common.” In fact, my vice president supports me.
In response to the incident, Trump said on his Truth Social platform that it was “really bad.” “The movie Crooked Joe Biden was a complete flop! It doesn’t get much worse than this “he said.
Protesters outside the Washington Hilton yelled over the killings of journalists in Gaza while carrying placards. As administration representatives arrived, hundreds of demonstrators yelled down at them and urged journalists to skip the yearly event.
Arriving through the rear door of the hotel, Joe Biden escaped the larger rallies in front and was met by smaller groups of demonstrators chanting for a cease-fire.
Many journalists, lawmakers, and celebrities mingled during the century-old event, which is sometimes referred to as Washington’s “nerd prom,” which took place in a spacious banquet hall. In his final remarks, the president frequently makes lighthearted barbs at reporters and other attendees.
Biden gave the press corps some guidance.
Sincerely, I’m not requesting that you choose a side. I’m requesting that you acknowledge the gravity of the situation. Get over the horse racing statistics, the high-stakes incidents, the diversion, the sideshows that have come to dominate and sensationalize our politics, and concentrate on the real issues at hand, added Biden.
Cast member Colin Jost of “Saturday Night Live” hosted the event this year.
The CODEPINK grassroots movement marched from a neighboring park to the event. The group said on its website that “Israeli war crimes are ignored and anti-Palestinian narratives are perpetuated by the US media.”
This year, Biden has been hounded by a rising movement against the war in Gaza; one such instance was a $250-per-ticket March fundraiser at Radio City Music Hall in New York, which was shattered by demonstrators.
That movement has now spread to American college campuses, indicating a rising rebellion among the Democratic base that Biden must beat the current Republican front-runner, Donald Trump.
The White House Correspondents’ Association president, Kelly O’Donnell, chose not to comment on the dinner’s security protocols.
U.S. Secret Service spokesman Alexi Worley stated, “The safety and security of our protectees is the U.S. Secret Service’s top priority,” but she declined to provide any other comments.
More than 34,000 Palestinians have died in Israel’s six-month-old war against Hamas in Gaza, which was sparked by the Islamist organization’s Oct. 7 bombing in southern Israel, according to Palestinian health officials. The conflict has also left the enclave’s more than 2 million residents facing humanitarian catastrophe.
Israeli officials report that 1,200 people were murdered and 253 were held captive as a result of the Hamas onslaught.
Founded in 1914, the White House Correspondents Association has celebrated the reporters who cover the president with a luncheon held almost annually since 1921 to raise funds for scholarships.
