Biden to get roasted at White House journalists’ dinner
On Saturday, the political and media elites of Washington observe their annual truce — for a few hours — at the White House Correspondents Association dinner, where President Joe Biden will be the brunt of jokes and respond with his own.
The event is a fixture on the social calendar of the US capital and takes place once again at the same Hilton Hotel where Ronald Reagan was shot and nearly killed by John Hinckley Jr in 1981 as he left a speech to trade unions.
The dinner tradition had begun to deteriorate, first being boycotted by Donald Trump and then being completely canceled for COVID-19.
Even last year, strict COVID testing, the frequent use of masks, and the absence of many guests contributed to a relatively low-key event.
Saturday's event, according to the president of the White House Correspondents Association, Tamara Keith, is "completely sold out."
Keith, a correspondent for NPR radio, reported that after tickets ran out, hundreds of people were turned away.
"It is after COVID. "People were apprehensive about entering a ballroom with 2,600 people in it last year, but this year they are clamoring to get in," she told The Hill.
Among these additional guests is Vice President Kamala Harris, who joined Biden, 80, on stage in the same week they declared their 2024 re-election campaigns.
The presence of both the president and vice president will revive a tradition that was last observed in 2016, the last dinner held before Trump assumed office.
On Saturday, the building will be crammed with Hollywood celebrities, Washington politicians of all stripes, and representatives from every media outlet imaginable.
As in years past, a well-known comedian will perform, this time "Daily Show" correspondent Roy Wood Jr.
The event is intended to honor the First Amendment of the United States Constitution, which guarantees free speech and a free press. However, jokes tend to dominate the news.
Wood told CBS News that the two factors mutually reinforce one another.
"As a citizen, I have the opportunity to look elected officials in the eye and say, 'Here's where you're all going wrong,'" he said, adding, "but it has to be funny."
If past editions are any indication, there will be many jokes directed not only at Biden, but also at the journalists who cover him. Polls indicate that less than half of the country approves of the Democrat, while a large portion of the country has little affection for the media, providing numerous easy targets.
Wood will also likely target members of Congress and, given the new election cycle, Trump and other Republicans eyeing the White House.
Biden will be given his own time slot and the chance to demonstrate he can handle the pressure.
He may have been practicing on Friday by delivering his signature brand of age-related self-deprecation, though it was more of a dad joke than cutting-edge late-night TV fare.
At a ceremony honoring the Air Force football team, Biden joked in reference to a speech made by President Dwight Eisenhower 65 years ago, "I wasn't there."
After a pause for laughter, he continued: "No matter what the press says."
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