Watch the Funniest Roasts from the 2024 White House Correspondents' Dinner — Including One About Taylor Swift
President Joe Biden graciously accepted a series of burns from the dinner's celebrity host, Colin Jost — and shared a few of his own at the annual event
President Joe Biden graciously accepted heat from Colin Jost at the White House Correspondents' Dinner — but he made sure to throw in a few of his own jabs beforehand.
During the annual event on Saturday, April 27, host Jost, 41, fulfilled his duty of delivering a hilarious, no-holds-barred assessment of the Biden-Harris administration and the political journalists who cover it.
But Biden, 81, first made jokes — including some at himself — when he stepped on stage at the Washington Hilton Hotel.
"It's been a year since I delivered this speech and my wife Jill who's with me tonight was worried how I'd do. I told her, 'Don't worry, it's just like riding a bike.' She [says], 'That's what I'm worried about,' " Biden joked in reference to a tumble he took on a bicycle in 2022.
Biden then turned his attention to the election and how "age is an issue," stating, "I'm a grown man, running against a 6-year-old," before joking that his own campaign has "always done well in the original 13 colonies."
"Age is the only thing in common," Biden said of his proposed opponent, Donald Trump. "My vice president actually endorses me."
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Related: All the Stars Attending the 2024 White House Correspondents' Dinner, Hosted by Colin Jost
Throughout his 10-minute speech, Biden discussed his relationship with the media, called himself a "job creator" for the 8 comedians who've played him on Saturday Night Live, and detailed how he spent some time with Jost and his family in the Oval Office.
Biden also got serious during his time speaking. After discussing the "wrongfully detailed" journalists around the world, he emphasized the importance of democracy and pointed out some of Trump's recent remarks.
"He promised a blood bath when he loses again," Biden said. "We have to take this seriously. 8 years ago we could've written it off as just Trump talk. But no longer, not after Jan. 6."
Biden closed his remarks by making a toast to the journalists in the room, to an "America where freedom and democracy endure" — before, of course, throwing a playful jab Jost's way.
"Colin Jost has taken aim at me before in his jokes, like saying 'After winning the South Carolina primary, Biden barely edged out his closest rival, time.' Colin, when I win, I'm gonna have a whole hell of a lot of time, and I'm gonna be watching, pal."
Jost then took Biden's place in front of the crowd, and among his jokes were some playful shots about the president's age, Trump's ongoing criminal trial and comparing himself to Doug Emhoff, the "second gentleman," as Jost is married to Scarlett Johansson.
"I would like to point out, it's after 10 p.m., sleepy Joe is still awake," Jost said at one point, "While Donald Trump has spent the past week falling asleep in court every morning. Fox News said he was just being anti-woke."
After shouting out — and poking fun at — the various news organizations and politicians in attendance, Jost set his sights directly on Biden.
"I love being in Washington. The last time I was in DC, I left my cocaine at the White House," Jost joked about a substance that was found in the White House that had tested positive for cocaine in July 2023.
"Luckily, the president was able to put it to good use for his State of the Union. I'm kidding, of course. The president doesn't call it cocaine, he calls it high-speed rail."
Jost also didn't hold back when it came to former presidents. "It's not like Trump himself is young and sharp. I'm not saying both candidates are old, but you know Jimmy Carter is out there thinking, 'I could maybe win this thing.' He's only 99!"
After comparing the economy to Biden on the steps of Air Force One ("It feels like it's stumbling but there's some upward progress"), Jost declared that "of course" the lives of Americans are better than they were 4 years ago.
"We didn't have online sports gambling," he said. "What more do you need? By the way, that's probably what's keeping the economy afloat, online gambling and Taylor Swift. Without those, we'd be in a recession right now."
Related: Scarlett Johansson and Colin Jost Have Glam Date Night at White House Correspondents’ Dinner
Jost then spent some time wondering who the "new frontrunner" for Trump's VP candidate was after O.J. Simpson's death ("Is it Diddy?"), before touching on the recent legislation that threatens to ban TikTok.
"Isn't it crazy that TikTok could be outlawed in the U.S. by the end of this year? That's a real shame," he said. "Because we're gonna need TikTok to document who is storming the capitol next January 6th."
Wrapping up his set, Jost thanked his wife Johansson for "agreeing to individually meet everyone in this room" after the dinner, and jokingly encouraged the crowd to "come right up" to her. The end of Jost's set featured a tribute to his late grandfather William Kelly, a longtime firefighter in Staten Island who recently died, as Jost told the president that he reminded him of his grandfather.
"I will say he was 95 and he was still great at stairs," Jost joked. "I think it's because he didn't try to run up them."
He later shared: "He voted for you in the last election he ever voted in. I mean, I'm sure somebody else will vote twice in this next election using his name, but that's just how the Democratic machine works ... My grandpa voted for decency and decency is why we're all here tonight."
Related: The Funniest Moments from President Joe Biden's 2023 White House Correspondents' Dinner Speech
The White House Correspondents' Dinner is an annual gathering of political journalists, celebrities and government officials that rewards standout White House reporters, raises money for the White House Correspondents' Association and celebrates the First Amendment right to a free press.
The sitting U.S. president and their top officials generally attend the dinner to show support for the media — whether they get along or not. (President Trump broke that longstanding WHCD tradition by refusing to attend during his entire term in office, a testament to his anger about being covered critically.)
This year, President Biden was joined by First Lady Jill Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and Emhoff at the front of the ballroom.
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