President Joe Biden displayed self-deprecation on Saturday while taking a dig at his US presidential rival Donald Trump, a “six-year-old”, at the annual White House Correspondents’ Dinner. The event also sparked a demonstration against the war in Gaza in its surroundings.
Many distinguished guests, journalists and celebrities, arrived at the Hilton hotel in the federal capital at a time when around a hundred demonstrators were gathered near the entrance. Some protesters then chanted slogans such as “Shame on you”.
Inside the building, however, the war between Hamas and Israel did not take center stage, unlike the mockery over Joe Biden’s age or his occasional falls down the stairs of the presidential plane. The presence of the American leader at this annual gala is part of the long tradition of the event, interrupted during the mandate of his predecessor Donald Trump, which wants the president to listen, with a smile, to a comedian tearing him down in order in front of an assembly in tuxedos and long dresses, then delivers a speech peppered with more or less successful jokes.
On duty this year to laugh at the American president was comedian Colin Jost, author and actor for the flagship American television show “Saturday Night Live”, broadcast on NBC. His wife, actress Scarlett Johansson, was also present at the dinner on Saturday. “I would like to point out that it is past 10 p.m., sleepy Joe is still up, while Donald Trump spent the week falling asleep in court every morning,” said the comedian, in an allusion to the trial in New York. York of the former president for a case of hidden payments to a former porn actress.
Between self-deprecation and teasing the media, Mr. Biden, 81, took the floor to mock his Republican rival, 77, explaining that “age is the only thing we have in common.” “The 2024 election is in full swing and yes age is an issue,” Mr. Biden said before launching: “I’m an adult running against a six-year-old.”
Colin Jost and Joe Biden, however, adopted a more serious tone when addressing the question of the political climate in the United States. Donald Trump’s rhetoric poses a danger according to the US president, particularly after the assault on the Capitol in 2021, and “the stakes could not be higher”, according to him. Far from the laughter of the audience roaming the room, a demonstration took place in front of the hotel, from where, from a window on the top floor, protesters hung a Palestinian flag several meters long. Others were gathered below, at roadway level, holding signs or megaphones.
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