After being suspended for two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the White House Correspondents’ Dinner returned Saturday night in Washington as if nothing had changed.
Well, almost everything.
To attend, guests had to upload a negative test and their vaccination passports to a cumbersome app called My Bindle. But after that minor inconvenience, many showed up at the various pre-dinner parties, and will likely party all night at many of the post-dinner events staged across Washington.
Additionally, President Joe Biden’s speech marked the first time a president had attended the dinner in six years, given former President Donald Trump’s refusal to attend. Similarly, the dinner returned to its usual lineup of comedic performances after the dinner moved away from comedy in 2019 with the daily program host Trevor Noah providing the evening’s entertainment.
the independent he was on the ground for some of the pre-party events and watched speeches by Biden and Noah. Here are five takeaways from Washington’s most dazzling night.
Biden made fun of himself and others
Whether poking fun at his own approval ratings or taking aim at his predecessor, Biden’s attendance at the event represented not just a return to official Washington form, but a return of presidential humor after the presidency of Trump, who was widely believed to He was so outraged by the jokes at his expense at the 2011 edition of the dinner that he ran for president as a form of revenge.
While Biden initially took aim at Trump, he also mocked his advanced age and low approval ratings, joking that the American press is the only group with lower poll numbers than his own.
The president also criticized Republicans, suggesting the GOP would soon “raid Cinderella’s castle,” a reference to both Florida Governor Ron DeSantis being targeted by Disney after he opposed his so-called “Don’t Say Gay” law and to January 6. insurrection committed by a mob of Trump supporters.
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Pandemic? What pandemic?
Both Biden and Noah acknowledged their concerns about a mass gathering in Washington and whether it was ethical, given that the last time Washington hosted a large-scale indoor event, multiple members of the Biden administration and members of Congress tested positive. Just this week, Vice President Kamala Harris tested positive for Covid-19, which kept her away from dinner.
“Seriously, what are we doing here? None of you learned anything from the Gridiron dinner? Anything?” Noah asked the attendees. “You guys spent the last two years telling everyone the importance of wearing masks and avoiding large gatherings indoors, then the minute someone offers you a free dinner, you all go cold turkey. turn into Joe Rogan.”
“I know there are questions about whether we should meet,” Biden said in his own comments. But he added that all attendees had to prove they were fully vaccinated and boosted.
“So if you’re at home watching this and wondering how to do it, just reach out to your favorite Fox News reporter,” he said. “Vaccinated and reinforced, all of them.”
Similarly, Biden compared his predecessor, Trump, to the pandemic.
“This is the first time a president has attended this dinner in six years. It’s understandable. We had a horrible plague followed by two years of Covid,” he said.
Trevor Noah roasts the Washington press corps
Biden opened his speech by noting that Americans don’t like journalists very much. And Mr. Noah marked the dises. The comedian kicked CNN out when he was down, following the sudden demise of the network’s short-lived streaming platform, CNN+.
“Every time there is a disaster anywhere in the world, Chef José is there,” Noah said of José Andrés and his World Central Kitchen, which recently did work in Ukraine. “I guess that’s why he’s sitting at the CNN table tonight.”
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Mr. Noah went after Chuck Todd of NBC News, poking fun at the meet the press moderator for your lack of follow-up questions. Similarly, Noah poked fun at Fox News and his propensity to ask about Biden’s son Hunter.
“I think people need to be held accountable if they use their father’s name to get ahead in life and I can’t think of anyone better to ask about that than Peter Doocy,” he said. Mr. Doocy is the son of fox and friends co-host Steve Doocy.
#ThisPueblo is back
The Trump presidency made the White House correspondents’ dinner an almost awkward affair. The former president did not attend, and many in the Washington press corps were on edge after comedian Michelle Wolf delivered a fiery speech strongly critical of then-White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders. In response, in 2019, the dinner featured not a comedian, but historian Ron Chernow, who wrote the biography. hamilton that inspired the hit Broadway musical. Many celebrities avoided the dinner, and many were nervous given the adversarial relationship the Trump administration had.
But none of those anxieties seemed to be on display as people streamed into the Washington Hilton for pre-parties. Many members of Congress, members of the Biden administration and former officials mingled with the press. On CBS News and politicianPre-partying at the Washington Hilton, Democratic Rep. Elaine Luria, as well as Biden administration staff secretary Neera Tanden and National Policy Council director Susan Rice, were in attendance, mingling with various CBS reporters, politician Y washington post, among others. While it wasn’t as star-studded as it was during the Obama presidency, there was definitely a more relaxed atmosphere compared to the nerves that surrounded the Trump years.
Journalism gets a round of applause
The White House Correspondents’ Dinner is ostensibly a celebration of journalism and the First Amendment. Beyond the glitz and formal dress, a group of students receive college scholarships through the association. Biden recognized the importance of a free press, after Trump repeatedly attacked journalists and dismissed critical coverage as “fake news.”
“You, the free press, matter more than ever in the last century,” Biden said. And Mr. Noah, for his part, celebrated the fact that he can mock the President of the United States to his face and not face persecution.
“If you ever start to doubt how significant it is, look no further than what is happening in Ukraine. Look what’s going on there,” Mr. Noah said.
Reference-www.independent.co.uk