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At the traditional White House correspondents’ dinner, US President Joe Biden, who has interests in his re-election, spoke about the importance of journalism and called on the international community to respect freedom of expression and profession. In addition, he criticized the media that, according to the president, use “lies to obtain benefits and power.” Humor was a fundamental part of the event.
The White House Correspondents Association dinner is an annual event that primarily brings together reporters, who cover press conferences by the US Executive branch. This time, a total of 2,600 attended, according to the AP news agency.
“We are here to send a message to the country and, frankly, to the world: The free press is a pillar, perhaps the pillar, of a free society, not the enemy,” declared the head of state in his speech.
Before dinner, Joe Biden met with the family of Evan Gershkovich, a Wall Street Journal journalist detained in Russia since last March and accused of espionage. On multiple occasions, the US government has stated that Gershkovich was wrongfully detained by Russian authorities.
“Evan and Austin must be released immediately along with all other Americans detained abroad,” Biden said.
comedy and politics
The dinner is usually presented by comedians and is characterized by mixing serious topics with political jokes. This year the presenter was Roy Wood Jr., an American comedian who launched several jokes about Joe Biden’s age.
“We should be inspired by what happened in France. They rioted when the retirement age was raised by two years to 64,” Wood said, referring to the controversial pension reform implemented by the French government. “Meanwhile, in the United States, we have an 80-year-old man begging us for four more years…”, was how the comedian closed the joke.
The comedy routine presented by Wood was taken humorously by the president, who also added to the jokes about his age. “Call me old, I call it weathered,” Biden said with a laugh.
In this vein, the White House guest also joked when talking about the American chain, Fox News, mentioning that if the president referred to this media outlet as “an honest, fair, and truthful media outlet,” then the president would be “sued for defamation”.
The 2020 and 2021 dinners were canceled as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, and Joe Biden resumed them last year. Former US President Donald Trump rejected them during his tenure.
With Reuters and AP
