Biden takes jab at Trump as Gaza protesters slam Western media
3 Min Read
Biden uses the White House Correspondents Association Dinner to turn criticisms against himself into jokes to lighten up his situation before the November elections near.
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President Joe Biden laughs as host Colin Jost speaks at the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner at the Washington Hilton, Saturday, April 27, 2024, in Washington. (AP)
US President Joe Biden took advantage of Saturday's White House Correspondents Association Dinner to roast former President Donald Trump and turn criticisms against himself into jokes to lighten up his situation before the November elections near.
"The 2024 election is in full swing and yes, age is an issue. I'm a grown man, running against a six-year-old," Biden said referring to Trump, while also calling him "sleepy Don."
"Age is the only thing we have in common, my vice president actually endorses me," Biden said, this time referring to former Vice President Mike Pence for not endorsing Trump this year.
Biden continued to joke about Trump's current lawsuits, amid the former President's appearance in the courtroom last week for allegedly being involved in a "criminal conspiracy" and subsequent cover-up related to a pre-election hush money payment to an adult star in 2016.
"Donald has had a few tough days lately. You might call it, stormy weather," he said.
Read more: Trump blames Biden for college protests, compares them to 2017 rally
The US President took the chance to speak on the role of the press this year.
"There are some who call you the enemy of the people. That's wrong and it's dangerous. You literally risk your lives doing your job," he addressed the room full of journalists.
"Journalism is clearly not a crime, not here, not there, not anywhere in the world," as over 140 journalists are killed in Gaza by "Israel".
In a related context, protesters booed at celebrities and figures who arrived at the annual dinner and criticized Biden's handling of the war on Gaza and the media coverage surrounding it.
They shouted: "Shame on you!" and said: "Western media we see you, and all the horrors that you hide", according to the Associated Press.
“SHAME ON YOU! SHAME ON YOU!”
— #StopCopCity (@ChuckModi1) April 27, 2024
Wild scene outside of White House Correspondents Dinner #WHCD as #FreePalestine protesters hold U.S. corporate media complicit in genocide pic.twitter.com/OXrv01meyr
This week, over two dozen Palestinian journalists penned an open letter, appealing to their American counterparts to boycott the dinner.
"You have a unique responsibility to speak truth to power and uphold journalistic integrity," said the letter. "It is unacceptable to stay silent out of fear or professional concern while journalists in Gaza continue to be detained, tortured, and killed for doing our jobs."
The Gaza Government Media Office had previously accused the Israeli occupation of deliberately targeting journalists to obscure the Palestinian narrative, distorting facts, and preventing journalists from documenting the crimes of the Israeli occupation forces to the public.
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) condemned the killing of journalists in Gaza, calling for the necessity of protecting them from the violence of the Israeli occupation forces and enabling them to perform their work.
