US President Joe Biden resumed this Saturday (30) a tradition of American politics: making jokes about himself at the WHCA (White House Correspondents Association) dinner.
The event, held since the 1920s, did not take place in 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic, and Donald Trump was not present in the years he was president. The last leader to attend the event was Barack Obama in 2016.
Biden began his speech by making fun of his rejection of his administration’s evaluation polls. “I’m really excited to be here today with the only group with a lower approval rating than me,” he said, referring to the press.
The president made fun of the difficulties in approving projects. “I expected to face tough opposition from the Senate, but that would come from the Republicans. But I’m not worried about the midterms.” [eleições de meio de mandato]. We may have more deadlocks in the party, but I’m confident we can resolve this during my remaining six years in office,” he joked, as if his re-election was guaranteed.
As for the opposition, he made fun of the Florida government’s clashes with Disney, which took a stand against a state law that vetoes content about gender in schools. “Ronald Reagan told Gorbachev, ‘Break down this wall.’ Today the Republicans say, ‘Break down Mickey Mouse’s house.’ And soon they will attack Cinderella’s castle.”
Biden also said he was happy for Brandon, a name used by Republicans on T-shirts and posts. The phrase “Let’s Go Brandon” became a slogan against the president, after a sports reporter took a name-calling against Biden during an event as a stimulus to a pilot. “He seems to be having a good year,” he joked.
In the second part of the speech, Biden took a more serious tone when talking about the Ukrainian War and stressing the importance of the press. “I have always believed that good journalism is a mirror to ourselves, to reflect the good, the bad and the truth.”
After Biden, South African comedian Trevor Noah joked with the press, the president and the opposition. He began by mocking his own dinner. “You’ve spent the last two years telling everyone the importance of wearing masks and avoiding large crowds indoors. And the second someone offers you dinner, you turn to Joe Rogan,” he said, quoting a comedian and presenter who minimized the pandemic.
The event brought together about 2,600 people in a hall of a hotel in Washington, with close proximity between the tables. Precautions were taken to try to avoid contagion, such as requiring a negative Covid test done on the same day and proof of vaccination. Despite this, Biden chose to spend less time at the site. He missed dinner and arrived just as dessert was being served.
In recent weeks, there have been several cases of contagion by Covid in the White House. Vice President Kamala Harris announced that she had been infected. In early April, Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House of Representatives, also had Covid. The two had no complications.
The Correspondents’ Dinner has been held by the WHCA since 1920. The money raised from the sale of dinner invitations is used to fund the organization’s activities during the year and to fund scholarships. Since 1924, American presidents have often attended the event. The only one not to go was Donald Trump.
