Achi news desk-
WASHINGTON – President Joe Biden used his White House Correspondents’ Association dinner speech on Saturday to take a swipe at former President Donald Trump, taking shots at the GOP presumptive nominee while highlighting the stakes of the election.
Biden cracked jokes at the expense of his political opponent and faced age head-on, saying he was “a grown man running against a 6-year-old.”
The president later said age was the only thing he and Trump had in common, adding, “My vice president actually supports me,” a reference to former Vice President Mike Pence’s refusal to say he would support his former running mate in 2024.
But Biden’s speech took a serious turn when he discussed the results of the November presidential election, echoing the themes of his campaign speeches as he highlighted what he called Trump’s “assault on our democracy.”
The president urged the press to “rise above the gravity of the moment.”
“Move past the horse race numbers and the ‘gotcha’ moments and the distractions and sideshows that have come to dominate and sensationalize our politics, and focus on what is actually at stake,” Biden said. “I think in your hearts, you know what’s at stake.”
Biden also highlighted the arrest of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who has been imprisoned in Russia for more than a year on espionage charges that he and his employer deny. His case was classified as illegal detention by the US
The president called on Russian President Vladimir Putin to release Gershkovich immediately, adding that the White House is also doing everything it can to bring home freelance journalist Austin Tice and businessman Paul Whelan.
Gershkowicz’s parents and Tyce’s mother were among the roughly 2,600 guests at the dinner, an estimate provided by NBC News political correspondent Steve Kornacki in a video played at the event.
“I give you my word as Biden: We will not give up until we bring them home,” Biden said. “Everyone.”
Biden also highlighted the illegal detention of Americans abroad, including Gershkovich, at last year’s dinner. The president emphasized during his remarks last year that “pressing is not a crime,” noting that a free press is the “pillar” of a “free society.”
Among the celebrities who went to the event on Saturday were Scarlett Johansson, who is married to Joost, as well as Rachel Brosnahan and Quavo. High-profile politicians and government officials, including Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, DN.Y. and Sen. John Peterman, D-Pa., also attended. First Lady Jill Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and Second Gentleman Doug Amhoff also attended the event, which took place at the Washington Hilton.
NBC Senior News Correspondent Kelly O’Donnell is serving as the 2023-24 President of the White House Correspondents’ Association and won the dinner.
“Saturday Night Live” cast member Colin Jost was the featured entertainer at the dinner. He is the co-anchor of NBC’s “Weekend Update” segment. Like Biden, Jost cracked a few jokes about the former president, including about Trump’s criminal trial, and began his remarks by saying, “How refreshing it is to see the president of the United States at an event that doesn’t start with an official saying, ‘Everything is up.'”
Jost also took aim at Biden at times, likening the economy to the president stepping on Air Force One: “It feels like he’s stumbling, but there’s somehow upward progress.” The comedian also told the president that his now-deceased grandfather voted for Biden in the last election because he thought Biden was a “decent man.”
While the dinner, a 100-year-old tradition, took place inside the ballroom, hundreds of protesters gathered outside to call for a ceasefire and criticize Biden’s response to the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.
The demonstrators chanted: “Shame on you!” As the participants passed them to enter the hotel. They also shouted criticism of the media, and a large sign read “Stop media complicity in genocide.”
“Every time the media lies, journalists in Gaza die,” the crowd chanted, echoing the leader’s words. Later, the demonstrators called for the fall of the Western media, chanting, “Brick by brick, wall by wall, the Western media will fall.”
US Secret Service chief Anthony Guglielmi said in a statement that “attendees can expect layered security and screening at the dinner,” adding that there will be “intermittent” road closures near the venue.
“In regards to the high-profile demonstration, we are working closely with the Washington Metropolitan Police Department to protect people’s rights to assemble, but we will remain zero-tolerant of illegal behavior,” Guglielmi added.
After the meal ended, two protesters holding a sign saying “Stop Israel’s Genocide” entered the red carpet area of ​​the hotel as the guests were leaving. They harmed the participants and were removed by security.
The president has had to deal with protesters demonstrating outside his official events, with protesters sometimes interrupting his speeches. In response, Biden’s team worked to downplay the president’s events, hiding their exact location more than usual in hopes of minimizing potential disruptions. Earlier this month, Palestinian journalists wrote an open letter calling on others to boycott the White House press dinner “as an act of solidarity with us — your fellow journalists — as well as the millions of Palestinians now starving in Gaza,” indicating the Biden administration’s support for Israel.
Fix (April 28, 2024, 9:49 a.m. ET): A caption in an earlier version of this article included an incorrect headline for NBC News’ Kelly O’Donnell. She is president of the White House Correspondents’ Association, not vice president.
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