President Joe Biden, appearing at one of DC’s oldest traditions, the Gridiron Dinner, made some sharp quips about Donald Trump but then turned serious about the threat that his rival poses to democracy.
Biden directed his barbs at his own age and at his predecessor.
“One candidate’s too old and mentally unfit to be president,” Biden said. “The other guy’s me.”
The dinner tradition, which dates to the 19th century, is a white-tie night that routinely draws the top echelons of government, media and business to watch journalists perform musical skits and politicians, also including Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer and Utah Governor Spencer Cox, do some of their own standup.
Biden noted that his student debt relief program “doesn’t apply to everyone. Just yesterday, a defeated-looking man came up and said, “I’m being crushed by debt. I’m completely wiped out.” I said, ‘Sorry, Donald I can’t help out.’”
Noting that Mitch McConnell was stepping down as GOP leader, Biden said, “I hate to see a friend give up in his prime.”
The event — the 139th dinner — featured figures like ABC News’ Jon Karl and CBS News’ Ed O’Keefe in the skits, before an audience that also included Vice President Kamala Harris and Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff, Attorney General Merrick Garland and Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell.
The most unexpected attendee was perhaps Shou Zi Chew, the CEO of TikTok, who has been meeting with lawmakers on Capitol Hill as Congress moves toward legislation to force its divestiture from its China-owned parent ByteDance or face being banned on app stores. Chew later shook hands with Biden as the president lingered for a bit afterward chatting with attendees.
Jeff Bezos, the Amazon founder and owner of The Washington Post, sat next to Biden on the dais, while Leo Eric Varadkar, the Irish Taoiseach, sat just a few seats down from the person he bears a striking resemblance to, Emhoff. Sure enough, there was a joke about their likeness.
As he noted that he had walked the UAW picket line last year with Whitmer, Biden got in a barb about Bezos, quipping to the crowd, “A strong union can make a corporation quiver. At least that is what Jeff Bezos would tell them.”
Biden said of the Irish prime minister, “He took one look at Congress and he asked for another Guinness.”
Biden, like other speakers, ended on a serious note — even saying, “I wish these were jokes but they’re not.”
“As I said in my State of the Union address, we live in an unprecedented moment of democracy — an unprecedented moment in history,” Biden said. “Democracy and freedom are literally under attack. Putin’s on the march in Europe. My predecessor bows down to him and says, ‘Do whatever the hell you want.’”
The president chided Trump for calling the press “the enemy of the people, even as many of you risked your lives in your jobs, sometimes even giving your life to do this job.”
Biden added, “Good journalism holds a mirror up to a country for us to reflect the good, the bad and the truth about who we are.”
“It is not hyperbole. We need you. Democracy is at risk and the American people need to know. In fractured times, they need a context and perspective. They need substance to match the enormity of the task. As a result, the choices that you make really matter, and each story you make makes democracy stronger.”
He added, “Every single one of us has a role to play in making sure American democracy endures. This year, you, the free press, have a bigger role than ever. Let me state the obvious: You are not the enemy of the people. You are a pillar of any free society.”
Biden and Harris both stayed for a bit after the dinner ended. Biden chatted with journalists and other attendees, telling a Wall Street Journal editor that the administration is doing what it can to secure the release of Evan Gershkovich, detained in Russia for nearly a year.
The president posed for selfies and even called a woman’s mother. And, asked by Deadline how he handles hecklers, who have been a common presence at his speeches and even at the State of the Union, he said, “Well, they aren’t very smart.”
Harris, meanwhile, was asked what she thought of the dinner. “It’s a part of a tradition and it’s wonderful. It’s a good tradition.” She then ribbed Politico’s Jonathan Martin, asking him, “Were you in the dog uniform? Was that you?” One skit featured a singing Commander, one of the Biden’s dogs, along with injured Secret Service agents. For the record, Martin did not play the dog.
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