The Best Moments From President Obama's White House Correspondents Dinner Speech

President Obama at the White House Correspondents Dinner. Photo: Getty

The White House Correspondents Dinner isn't merely a chance for Hollywood's best and brightest to frock up and network over a three course meal. You could be fooled for thinking so, considering the starry A-list guests - Emma Watson, Emily Ratajkowski, Karlie Kloss, Kendall Jenner, Rachel McAdams, Mark Ruffalo and Liev Schrieber, to name just a few - and the social media buzz that it generates.

But it's also one of they key moments during a President's term that he or she gets to be funny: the event is hosted by a comedian and the President always gives a monologue lambasting guests, the attending press and even, at times, their own administration.

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This year, President Obama kicked off the humour by inviting the most famous press secretary of all - Alison Janney's CJ Cregg from The West Wing - to takeover the White House's customary Friday afternoon briefing. "The President is still working on his jokes for the White House Correspondents Dinner," Janney said, in character. "I don't have any details on that, other than that he intends to be funny." You can watch the full video below:

And funny he was. As soon as President Obama took to the podium for his monologue - to the strains of Anna Kendrick's chart-topping track from Pitch Perfect 'When I'm Gone', choice lyric: 'You're gonna miss me when I'm gone' - the audience was in stitches. "You can’t say it, but you know it’s true," he opened, with a grin.

From there, he proceeded to hurls burns at everything from Prince George ("Last week Prince George showed up to our meeting in his bathrobe. That was a slap in the face. A clear breach in protocol") to the cast of Oscar-winning film Spotlight ("I would like to acknowledge some of the award-winning reporters that we have with us here tonight. Rachel McAdams. Mark Ruffalo. Liev Schreiber. Thank you all for everything that you've done. I'm just joking, as you know Spotlight is a film, a movie about investigative journalists with the resources an the autonomy to chase down the truth and hold the powerful accountable. Best fantasy film since Star Wars. Look - that was maybe a cheap shot.")

Even the night's celebrity guests weren't free from scrutiny. Kendall Jenner got a ribbing, and Obama revealed himself to be a *huge* Helen Mirren fan. "Helen Mirren is here tonight. I don’t even have a joke here. I just think Helen Mirren is awesome."

Helen Mirren and husband Taylor Hackford. Photo: Getty

The upcoming Presidential race was the big topic of the day, with Obama roasting his teammates Bernie Sanders, who he sarcastically called the "fresh new face of the Democratic party" and his former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who he joked was technologically illiterate and couldn't use Facebook. Obama hasn't named his preferred candidate in the 2016 race, although this comment hints that Clinton might be the forerunner. "Next year at this time, someone else will be standing here in this very spot, and it’s anyone’s guess who she will be," Obama joked.

The President also took aim at the Republican candidates, calling out Ted Cruz and the remaining Republican candidates ("some aren't polling high enough to qualify for their own joke tonight") and even cracking a Game of Thrones joke about the potential for the evening to turn into a bit of a bloodbath. "I think we've got Republican Senators Tim Scott and Cory Gardner, they're in the house, which reminds me, security, bar the doors! Judge Merrick Garland, come on out, we're going to do this right here, right now. It's like the Red Wedding."

Obama drops the mic. Photo: Getty

But the strongest takedowns were reserved for Donald Trump. The President attacked the Republican Presidential candidate forerunner for his business acumen, his ego, his dealings with the press and his take on international diplomacy. "They say Donald lacks the foreign policy experience to be President. But, in fairness, he has spent years meeting with leaders from around the world: Miss Sweden, Miss Argentina, Miss Azerbaijan."

And then, after a couple of minutes of more serious fare, discussing the importance of press freedom and the work that journalists do around the world, President Obama ended his speech - his eighth and final as President of the United States - by literally dropping the mic. "Obama out". Indeed. Insert raucous applause here.