Over the weekend, politicians, members of the press, and celebrities (hello, Julia Fox!) mixed and mingled at the annual White House Correspondents’ Dinner. Comedian Roy Wood Jr. headlined the evening, but President Joe Biden had some jokes of his own.
The president kicked the evening off by emphasizing the importance of a free press, including efforts to free detained Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich. He quickly transitioned to lighter topics, joking about the state of cable news and the GOP. But his funniest jokes of the evening may have been about his age, which has become a hot topic in the run-up to the 2024 presidential election. “I get that age is a completely reasonable issue, it’s on everybody’s mind,” he said. “And by everybody, I mean the New York Times.”
As an example, he read out a fake headline written by a Twitter parody account: “Headline: ‘Biden’s Advanced Age Is a Big Issue. Trump’s, However, Is Not.’ ”
Here are some of his best moments.
On his age:
“Call me old? I call it being seasoned. You say I’m ancient? I say I’m wise. You say I’m over the hill? Don Lemon would say that’s a man in his prime.”
On drinking responsibly:
“I want everyone to have fun tonight, but please be safe. If you find yourself disoriented or confused, it’s either you’re drunk, or you’re Marjorie Taylor Greene.”
On another member of his generation:
“You might think I don’t like Rupert Murdoch. It’s simply not true. How could I dislike a guy who makes me look like Harry Styles?”
On Fox News:
“Look, it’s great the cable news networks are here tonight. MSNBC, owned by NBCUniversal. Fox News, owned by Dominion Voting Systems.”
“Hell, I’d call Fox honest, fair, and truthful, but then I could be sued for defamation.”
On his alter ego:
As Biden handed things off to the professional comedian for the night, he leaned into the memes, as Slate’s Luke Winkie urged him to do last year. “Roy, the podium is yours. I’m going to be fine with your jokes,” he said as he slowly donned aviator sunglasses. “But I’m not sure about Dark Brandon.”
You can watch the full speech here: