US President Joe Biden has resumed the tradition of speaking at the annual White House Correspondents' Dinner after a six-year presidential hiatus.
He is the first leader to speak at the event, where the president faces friendly mocking in front of an audience of journalists, since 2016.
It was cancelled for two years due to the pandemic and was boycotted by Donald Trump when he was in office.
“Just imagine if my predecessor came to this dinner this year,” Biden told an audience of 2,600, among them journalists, government officials and celebrities. “Now that would really have been a real coup.”
The president took the opportunity to test out his comedic chops, making light of the criticism he has faced in his 15 months in office while taking aim at his predecessor, the Republican Party and the members of the press.
“I’m really excited to be here tonight with the only group of Americans with a lower approval rating than I have,” Biden said to the Hilton ballroom filled with members of the media.
Biden also made light of the “Let’s Go Brandon” slogan, which has become the right’s stand-in for swearing at the president.
Biden is the first U.S. president to attend the usually annual gathering of journalists, politicos and celebrities since Barack Obama in 2016 — something Biden acknowledged in his speech, following up with a dig at his predecessor former President Trump.
"It's understandable. We had a horrible plague followed by two years of COVID," Biden said, in a clear reference to Trump.
Biden also took a swipe at Fox News, over accusations that some of its hosts have fueled COVID-19 vaccine hesitation, noting "everyone had to prove they are fully vaccinated and boosted" at the event.
"So if you are at home watching this, and you are wondering how to do that, just contact your favorite Fox News reporter. They are all here. Vaccinated and boosted," he quipped.
Biden also noted that he was in a room with members of the media — the "only group of Americans who have a lower approval rating than I have."
The president also stressed that a free press "is not the enemy of the people" — a phrase former president Trump has sometimes used to describe the American media.
"Where the truth is buried by lies and the lies live on as truth, what's clear, and I mean this in the bottom of my heart, that you — the free press — matter more than you ever did in the last century," Biden said.
He added that "American democracy is not a reality show," in another apparent reference to Trump, the former star of NBC's "Apprentice."
In addition to speeches from Biden and comedian Trevor Noah, the hourslong event had taped skits from talk-show host James Corden, comedian Bill Eichner and even Biden himself.
“Thank you for having me here,” Noah said to Biden. “And I was a little confused on why me, but then I was told that you get your highest approval ratings when a biracial African guy is standing next to you.”
While the majority of the speech was filled with cutting jabs, Biden did make note of the important role journalism plays in American democracy, especially in the last decade.
“I mean this from the bottom of my heart, that you, the free press, matter more than you ever did in the last century,” he said. “You are the guardians of the truth.”
The dinner had other serious moments, with tributes to pioneer journalists of color, aspiring student reporters as well as a dedication to the journalists detained, injured or killed during the coverage of the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The U.S. was experiencing a COVID-19 case spike from a highly contagious subvariant of omicron, with confirmed infections rising to about 44,000 per day, up from 26,000 a month ago. Still, virus deaths and hospitalizations were near, or at, pandemic lows, with the BA.2 variant proving less severe than earlier virus strains.
In the wake of the recent Gridiron Club press dinner in Washington, dozens of attendees, including members of Congress and of Biden’s Cabinet and journalists, tested positive for COVID-19. The White House Correspondents’ Association said it was requiring same-day antigen testing for its dinner attendees even before the Gridiron outbreak, then added a vaccination requirement.
Biden, 79, decided to pass up the meal but turn up later for the program. While he planned to be masked when not speaking, a maskless president greeted award winners on the dais and could be seen smiling broadly during the dinner program.
(with inputs from AP)
