President Joe Biden appeared smiling and maskless as he took the stage at the 2022 White House Correspondent’s Dinner on Saturday Night.
Although the annual event was disrupted in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Donald Trump refused to attend the event, which means that Biden is the first President in six years to attend the star-studded gala, which was attended by government officials, journalists, and celebrities.
“Just imagine if my predecessor came to this dinner this year,” Biden told the crowd. “Now that would really have been a real coup.”
Joe Biden Is Happy For Brandon, Whoever That Is
President Biden joked about the criticism that he received during his first fifteen months in office. He also took some shots at members of the media, who have been vocal about his low approval rating in recent weeks.
“I’m really excited to be here tonight with the only group of Americans with a lower approval rating than I have,” Biden joked. He also took aim at the “Let’s Go Brandon” quip that has been used as a coded insult against him.
“Republicans seem to support one fella, some guy named Brandon,” Biden said, which caused a wave of laughter to ripple through the room. “He’s having a really good year. I’m happy for him.”
Biden also took several jabs at the Republicans, saying, “There’s nothing I can say about the GOP that Kevin McCarthy hasn’t already put on tape.” He then continued on to mock Fox News.
“I know there are a lot of questions about whether we should gather here tonight because of COVID,” he said. “Well, we’re here to show the country that we’re getting through this pandemic. Plus, everyone has to prove they are fully vaccinated and boosted.”
“Just contact your favorite Fox News reporter,” he quipped. “They’re all here. Vaccinated and boosted.”
Trevor Noah Welcomes Everyone To The ‘Nation’s Largest Super-Spreader Event’
The jokes about COVID-19 didn’t stop there. Vice President Kamala Harris had tested positive for COVID-19 earlier in the week and Dr. Anthony Fauci decided not to attend the event out of an abundance of caution.
“The Daily Show” host Trevor Noah welcomed everyone to “the nation’s largest super-spreader event.”
“You guys spent the last two years telling everyone the importance of wearing masks and avoiding large indoor gatherings,” he went on. “Then the second someone offers you a free dinner, you all turn into Joe Rogan.”
Noah also thanked Joe Biden for inviting him before adding, “And I was a little confused on why me, but then I was told that you get your highest approval ratings when a biracial African guy is standing next to you.”
Noah also took aim at the 94th annual Academy Awards ceremony, where Chris Rock referred to Jada-Pinkett Smith as “G.I. Jane” due to her hair loss condition, alopecia. After the joke, Will Smith walked up on stage and slapped Rock before resuming his seat and cursing him out. Many stand-up comedians have expressed concern about facing violence on stage after the incident, but Noah was worried about something else.
“I’ve actually been a little bit worried about tonight — I won’t lie,” Noah said. “I was like, what if I make a really mean joke about Kellyanne Conway, and then her husband rushes up on the stage… and thanks me?”
James Corden – who announced earlier this week that he was stepping down as host of “The Late Late Show,” also shared his own video at the event, which can be seen below.
White House Correspondents’ Dinner James Corden @JKCorden video#WHCD #NerdProm pic.twitter.com/277PhWMJFC
— CSPAN (@cspan) May 1, 2022
