The high-profile event came against the backdrop of growing protests over Biden’s handling of the Israel-Hamas war.
“Of course, the 2024 election‘s in full swing and, yes, age is an issue: I’m a grown man running against a 6-year-old,” Biden said in a roughly 10-minute speech, referring to former President Trump, whom he called “Sleepy Don.”
Speaking to an audience of nearly 3,000 journalists, celebrities and politicians, Biden added, “Age is the only thing we have in common. My vice president actually endorses me.”
“Donald has had a few tough days lately. You might call it ‘stormy’ weather,” Biden said, an oblique reference to Stormy Daniels, a porn actress who claims she had an affair and received a hush-money payment in the days before the 2016 election, a deal at the centre of his New York trial.
The president went on to draw a contrast between his reelection campaign, which has ramped up since his State of the Union address last month, and that of Trump. Biden and Trump have both secured the delegates they need to win their respective party nominations in the November 5 presidential race, setting a rematch of their 2020 election showdown. After a slew of jokes targeting Trump, Biden then took a more sombre tone to talk about his 2024 rival to the room of journalists, lawmakers and celebrities.
“The defeated former president has made no secret of his attack on our democracy. He said he wants to be a dictator on day one, and so much more. He tells supporters he is their revenge and retribution. When in God’s name [have] you ever heard another president say something like that?” Biden asked, referring to Trump’s recent remarks.
“We have to take this seriously. Eight years ago, you could’ve written off [that] it was just Trump talk, but no longer. Not after January 6,” Biden said, calling on the audience to “move past the horse race numbers” and “focus on what’s actually at stake.”
Comedian Colin Jost followed Biden’s remarks at the dinner on Saturday with a roast of the incumbent and other political figures in the room, offering comic relief against a backdrop of congressional tensions and conflict abroad.
Demonstrators protested media coverage of the Israel-Hamas war and the administration’s handling of the conflict near the Washington Hilton event space – and Biden notably didn’t make direct reference to the protests or the conflict during his speech.
As journalists and celebrities entered the Washington Hilton, protesters accused them of cosigning the president’s handling of the Israel-Hamas war, shouting, “Shame on you!” while urging them to speak out against the killing of journalists in Gaza.
Since Hamas’ October 7 attacks, at least 97 journalists – 92 of them Palestinian – have been killed in the region, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists, a nonprofit that has been tracking the death toll.
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