President Joe Biden Jokes About Trump and Addresses Media at White House Correspondents’ Dinner
Photo by AP Photo/Susan Walsh
At the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner held on Saturday, President Joe Biden was the subject of both concern and humor as a video of him struggling with his meal circulated on X, previously known as Twitter. In the video, the president was seen attempting to eat a platter of lettuce but appeared to have difficulty managing his greens.
This sparked another round of online commentary about his age, with viewers noting that it was ‘hard’ to watch the president struggle even to take a proper bite. Amid the lighter moments and personal struggles with his meal, President Biden used the platform to deliver pointed humor, particularly targeting former President Donald Trump.
Throughout the evening, Biden made jokes about Trump’s age and controversial statements. One remark highlighted the ongoing 2024 election dynamics, where Biden quipped, “I’m a grown man running against a 6-year-old,” eliciting laughter from the black-tie audience.
The Guardian reported that Biden also took a jab at Trump’s description of the Civil War battle of Gettysburg as “interesting,” “vicious,” “horrible,” and “beautiful.” Biden humorously suggested that Trump’s characterization of the battle was so off-mark that “the statue of Robert E. Lee surrendered again.”
Further delving into political territory, Biden contrasted his relationship with his vice president with Trump’s fallout with former Vice President Mike Pence following the 2020 election. He highlighted the support he receives from Vice President Kamala Harris, who responded with laughter and cheers to his comments onstage.
Adding to the evening’s humor, Biden touched on Trump’s recent venture of selling “God Bless the USA Bibles” for $59.99, joking that Trump briefly attempted to engage with the Bible until he encountered a commandment he couldn’t accept, leading him to remark, “This book’s not for me.”
President Biden also playfully addressed critiques of his interaction with the press, specifically mentioning a critique from The New York Times which accused him of avoiding independent journalists. He responded with a tongue-in-cheek remark about being labeled “active and effective” by the newspaper, suggesting that if avoidance led to such a description, he was all for it.
The evening concluded with Biden steering the mood towards a more serious reflection on the state of politics and media. He urged those present to transcend the trivial aspects of political coverage—the “horse-race numbers, the gotcha moments, and the sideshows” that sensationalize politics. Instead, he called for a focus on the substantive issues at stake, emphasizing the importance of addressing the serious challenges facing the nation and its political discourse.
This mixture of humor and earnest appeal at the Correspondents’ dinner showcased Biden’s use of the event to underscore both his wit and his perspective on the current political climate, navigating through personal scrutiny and political rivalry with notable poise.
