The traditional gala dinner promoted since 1920 by the White House Correspondents’ Association in honor of journalists who cover the American government’s press, which took place this Saturday (27), was used by Joe Biden, 81 years old, to needle his competitor in the electoral dispute and to show that he takes concerns about his age in stride.
The dinner brought together more than 3 thousand guests, including journalists, celebrities from the artistic world, government representatives and politicians. As is tradition, the president gave a speech honoring the role of the press and included jokes in the script, carefully chosen to send messages about the electoral dispute with Donald Trump, who is 77 years old.
In one of them, Biden admitted that there was an age issue: “an adult man competing with a six-year-old child”.
Trump was the subject of Biden’s jokes at the dinner for journalists
Although dinner with journalists covering the US presidency is an old tradition followed by Joe Biden, Donald Trump preferred to do something different.
During his term, in which he maintained a permanently confrontational relationship with the press, he did not attend the meeting where awards, scholarships and tributes were given to press professionals.
Biden has participated since his first year in office. This time, he decided to take the opportunity to talk about age, politics and Trump in a relaxed way.
The president, who has been the subject of comments and news in the press due to memory failures and because he is 81 years old, said:
“The 2024 elections are in full swing and yes, age is an issue. I’m a grown man, running against a six-year-old.”
The US president also took advantage of the refusal of Trump’s former vice president, Mike Pence, to endorse his new candidacy, saying:
“Age is the only thing we have [ele e Trump] in common. My vice president really endorses me.”
Another joke was about the complaints that he gives few interviews. Jokingly, he used the classic phrase to avoid the press: “no comments”. And he continued:
“The New York Times issued a statement criticizing me for ‘actively and effectively’ avoiding independent journalists. Well, if that’s what it takes for the New York Times to call me ‘active’ and ‘effective,’ that’s fine with me.”
Donald Trump’s sale of Bibles was used by Joe Biden to mock the lawsuits the former president is responding to and accentuate his cult of personality.
“Donald has been having some rough days lately […] He became so desperate that he began reading the Bibles he was selling. Then he came to the first commandment: ‘You shall have no other God before me.’ That’s when he stopped reading and said this book wasn’t for him.”
The president’s full speech, in which he also spoke of the risks he sees if the former president returns to office, was released on the US presidency’s social media.
Criticism of Joe Biden and journalists for Gaza
But the night wasn’t just about jokes and positive messages. Outside the White House, protesters gathered to criticize guests upon arrival at the gala dinner, shouting slogans in support of Palestine and criticizing the press’ stance in covering the conflict with Israel.
More than two dozen Palestinian journalists tried to convince colleagues to boycott the event. They sent a letter saying:
“You have a unique responsibility to speak truth to power and defend journalistic integrity. “It is unacceptable to remain silent out of fear or professional concern while journalists in Gaza continue to be detained, tortured and killed for doing our work.”
In the media, Biden was also criticized for not mentioning the war, the humanitarian crisis or the press working under extreme conditions in Gaza in his dinner speech.
Kelly O’Donnell, president of the correspondents’ association, referred briefly to the approximately 100 journalists who died in the war and cited media professionals detained around the world, including Americans Evan Gershkovich in Russia and Austin Tice, believed to be detained in Syria.
