Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

Joe Biden To Get Roasted At White House Journalists' Dinner

Joe Biden To Get Roasted At White House Journalists' Dinner

The ritual is a landmark on the US capital's social calendar and once again takes place in the same Hilton Hotel where Ronald Reagan was shot and nearly killed by John Hinckley Jr in 1981.
Washington's political and media elites observe their annual truce -- of a few hours -- Saturday at the White House Correspondents Association dinner, where President Joe Biden will find himself the butt of jokes and hit back with his own.

The ritual is a landmark on the US capital's social calendar and once again takes place in the same Hilton Hotel where Ronald Reagan was shot and nearly killed by John Hinckley Jr in 1981, as he left from delivering a speech to trade unions.

The dinner institution had started to wither -- first boycotted by Donald Trump, then shut down for Covid-19 altogether.

Even last year, strict Covid testing, frequent use of masks and many guests keeping away resulted in a relatively low-key affair.

Saturday's event, said White House Correspondents Association President Tamara Keith, is "completely sold out."

Keith, a correspondent for NPR radio, said hundreds of people had been turned away after tickets ran out.

"It's post-Covid. People last year were pretty nervous about going into a ballroom with 2,600 people in it, and this year, they are climbing over each other to get there," she told The Hill.

Among those extra guests is Vice President Kamala Harris, joining 80-year-old Biden on stage in the same week that they declared their 2024 reelection bid.

Having both the president and vice president in attendance will restore a tradition last observed in 2016, the final dinner before Trump entered the White House.

Hollywood figures, Washington politicians of all stripes and representatives of every media organization imaginable will cram inside Saturday.

As in previous years, a prominent comedian will perform, this time "Daily Show" correspondent Roy Wood Jr.

Serious joking matter

The occasion is meant to celebrate the constitution's First Amendment guaranteeing free speech -- and a free press. However, the jokes tend to get the headlines.

Wood, speaking to CBS News, said the two aspects are mutually reinforcing.

"I have an opportunity as a citizen to look elected officials in the face and go, 'Here's where you're all messing up,'" he said, adding, "it needs to be funny."

If previous editions are a guide, many jokes will be directed at Biden, but also at the journalists who cover him. Polls show less than half the country approves of the Democrat, while the media get little love from much of the country, presenting many easy targets.

Wood is also likely to direct barbs at members of Congress and, undoubtedly, given the new election cycle, Trump and other Republicans eying White House runs.

Biden will get his own slot and an opportunity to show he can take the heat.

He may have been practicing on Friday, delivering his trademark brand of self-deprecation about his age -- though more dad joke than edgy late-night TV fare.

Referring to a speech by president Dwight Eisenhower 65 years ago, Biden quipped at a ceremony honoring the Air Force football team, "I wasn't there."

After pausing for the laughter, he added: "No matter what the press says."
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Neighbours Criticise Germany Over Extended Border Controls
EU Court Orders Google to Pay €2.4 Billion Fine
Apple Ordered to Pay Ireland €13bn in Unpaid Taxes
UK Upside Down: Woman Attacked, Police Focus on Her Language Instead of the Attacker
Internet Surpasses TV as UK's Leading News Source
Top Former US Military Leaders Endorse Kamala Harris, Criticize Trump
Australia Implements Minimum Age for Social Media Use
Kim Jong Un Announces Increase in North Korea's Nuclear Arsenal
JUST WHEN YOU THOUGHT THE UK COULDN'T SINK ANY LOWER… NOW UK WANT TO SUMMON ELON MUSK OVER "TOO MUCH FREE SPEECH" ON X
RUMBLE BLOCKED IN BRAZIL: A BLOW TO FREE SPEECH
Is it artificial, or intelligent?
CDC: U.S. Fertility Rates Hit Historic Low
Apple's "New" iPhone 16: Same Phone, New Number
Swiss politician lectures a German politician about democracy
Germany has just announced that they will be closing their borders and introducing border controls to protect the country
If ID Is a Must for So Many Small Things, Why Not in Elections?
Make Army Real Again
China just arrested the billionaire founder of a free speech messaging app for not moderating and censoring the content to their liking.
Viktor Orban’s Bold Stand on Immigration
Greece to Impose Levy on Cruise Passengers Visiting Santorini and Mykonos
Here’s What a 240 km/h Typhoon in Vietnam Looked Like
A shift in how people consume news and information is happening!
Former Republican Congressman Mike Rogers: “We’re going to make this election too big to rig.”
Hungary was fined €200 million by the EU for opposing illegal immigration
China Unveils AI App Inspired by Iron Man's Jarvis
Iranian Plots to Kill Jews in Europe Unveiled
Public Health Data Debate, Kidney Transplants, Wildfires, Typhoon Impact, and Controversial YouTube Bans: A Diverse Week in News
Sinner Makes History, Italy Upsets France, Ronaldo's 900th Career Goal, and More in Sports Highlights
Porn streamer OnlyFans paid owner $630mn in dividends
China ends tariffs on all goods exported to China from the poorest countries in the world it has diplomatic ties with, including 33 African nations
Ukraine's Major Government Reshuffle: Andrii Sybiha Appointed New Foreign Minister
WALZ'S FOR TRUMP": Gov. Tim Walz’s family is proudly expressing their 'strong support' for former President Trump
In a public interview yesterday, Putin openly said he wants Kamala Harris to win the 2024 election.
French Woman Testifies in Landmark Rape Trial
Michel Barnier Appointed as Prime Minister of France
Britain Plans to Combat 700 Years of Nepotism in Its Governmental System by Ending Hereditary Peerships in the House of Lords
The art technique of Grandma Mei Ling, age 82
Hungary's Dependence on Russian Oil
Mongolia Refuses to Arrest Putin Despite ICC Warrant
France Pilots Mobile Phone Ban in Schools
Hungary's Quest for Energy Stability Amid Global Tensions
Germany's Establishment War on Democracy: Blocking the People's Choice
WHO-Led Study Finds No Link Between Mobile Phones and Brain Cancer
Russian Missile Strike Kills 49 in Poltava, Ukraine
Major Cabinet Resignations in Ukraine
Putin Defies ICC Arrest Warrant with Mongolia Visit
Frenchman On Trial for Decade-long Abuse of Drugged Wife
Today in Venezuela, November in America? Venezuela, an arrest warrant was issued against the election loser, González
The British bus driver explains to usual suspects that they cannot travel without a ticket. Education is important.
Norway Sets New Electric Vehicle Sales Record
×