The traditional dinner for White House correspondents took place on Saturday April 29, 2023 in Washington. The opportunity for Joe Biden to pay tribute to journalists and defend the principle of a free press.
With our correspondent in New York, Loubna Anaki
In an evening usually placed under the sign of humor, Joe Biden made a point of starting his speech with questions “ very serious “. He notably mentioned the fate of the journalist from Wall Street Journal, Evan Gershkovich, still detained in Russia, and all Americans detained abroad. “ I promise you that I do everything to bring them home “, did he declare.
In front of hundreds of journalists, the American president, candidate for his own re-election, also took up one of the main messages of his campaign: the defense of democracy. ” A poison runs through our democracy, and even into the extreme media. The truth is drowned in lies. And lies are presented as truths. »
” They say I’m an elder, I say I’m wise »
Joe Biden also tried his hand at the traditional exercise in humor, hitting his Republican opponents Donald Trump, Ron DeSantis and Marjorie Taylor Greene a few times.
With a note of self-mockery, he also addressed the question of his age: I understand that my age is a problem. Everyone thinks about it. And by everyone, I mean the New York Times. They said I was old… I say I’m experienced. They say I’m an elder, I say I’m wise. Unsurprisingly, Joe Biden’s age also earned him jokes from that dinner’s special guest comedian, Roy Wood Jr.