The event was attended by a number of very important people, including journalists and celebrities, from actor Chris Pine to actress Molly Ringwald and more. Dressed in black suits and fancy dresses, the guests were met outside the Washington Hilton by more than 100 protesters chanting “shame” and other slogans.
The subject of the segment did not figure in the speeches of Mr. Biden and the evening’s comedian Colin Jost of “Saturday Night Live.” Mr. Jost joked about Mr. Biden’s age and tripping on the stairs of Airforce One.
“I would like to point out that already after 10 p.m. evening — sleepy Joe is still awake, and Donald Trump fell asleep in court every morning last week,” Jost joked, referring to the former president’s appearances in a New York court last week over alleged hush money.
In a bit of mockery of himself and the press, the 81-year-old president said of his 77-year-old rival in the November election that “age is the only thing we have in common. My vice president actually supported me.”
Both the comedian and Mr. Biden took a more serious tone when speaking about the political tensions felt by many Americans. According to the president, D. Trump’s rhetoric is dangerous, especially after 2021. January 6 of the attack on the Capitol. “There can be no higher stakes,” Mr. Biden said.
The White House Correspondents’ Dinner has a long-standing tradition – the assembled representatives of the country’s media mock the US leader together with the president. This annual celebration did not take place during Trump’s presidency.
“In 2024 the election is in full swing, and yes, age is an issue,” Mr. Biden said. “I am a grown man competing with a six-year-old” – the current president of the country bit his opponent.
If the event was full of laughter, the scene outside the hotel remained serious: protesters unfurled a huge Palestinian flag from an upstairs window, others gathered below holding placards, chanting and shouting through megaphones.
For several months now, every step of Mr. Biden has been accompanied by protesters’ outrage at the US support for Israel’s military offensive in the Gaza Strip. He was greeted by shouts of “Genocide Joe” and raucous calls for an immediate ceasefire.
More than twenty Palestinian journalists published an open letter this week calling on their American colleagues to boycott the dinner.
At least 97 journalists, including 92 Palestinians, have been killed since the war began on October 7, when Hamas invaded southern Israel, according to the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). At least 16 other journalists were injured.
Annual dinner since 1920 organized by the influential White House Correspondents’ Association, which honors the best journalists and awards journalism scholarships.
Last year, 2,600 people attended the event.
