Biden pokes at Trump’s ‘stormy’ week

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 Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

President Joe Biden ribbed his political rival, former President Donald Trump, at the annual White House Correspondents’ Association dinner, saying, “I’m a grown man running against a 6-year-old.”

The president took the former president to task for recently predicting a “blood bath for the country” if the election doesn’t go Trump’s way this November.

“We have to take this seriously. Eight years ago, we could have written it off as just Trump talk, but no longer,” Biden said during the annual gathering of political leaders and journalists who cover the White House.

He took only a brief swing at Trump’s court cases, mentioning the former president has had some “stormy days.”

The president also poked fun at the press corps. “Some of you complain that I don’t take enough of your questions,” the president said. After a comedic pause, he added, “No comment.”

Biden also embraced freedom of the press to report on the presidency, which is a primary mission of the correspondents’ association.

“I’m sincerely not asking you to take sides, but ask you to rise up to the seriousness of the moment. Move past the horse race numbers, the gotcha moments,” Biden said, hinting at the distaste the campaign has for some political reporting.

“There are some who call you the enemy of the people,” continued Biden. “It’s wrong and it’s dangerous… Journalism is not a crime… We are doing everything we can to bring home journalists…wrongfully detained around the world.”

Biden’s comments followed a standing ovation earlier in the evening for calling attention to kidnapped journalists Evan Gershkovich and Austin Tice.

Colin Jost, the evening’s host and a real comedian, followed Biden with his own jabs at Trump, reporters and the president.

The comedian gave “sleepy Joe” a shout-out for being awake past 10 p.m. “While Donald Trump has spent the past week falling asleep in court every morning — though Fox News said he was just being anti-woke.”

The crowd of decked-out political power brokers and celebrities ate it up. Spotted in the room at the Washington Hilton Hotel were Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker (wearing American and Ukraine pins on his tux) and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, both surrogates on the campaign trail for Biden.

As a reminder that the party is a bipartisan affair, Democratic National Committee Chair Jaime Harrison and Republican National Convention Host Committee Chair Reince Priebus were both spotted.

Other guests included Sens. Chuck Schumer, Amy Klobuchar and John Fetterman (dressed in a hoodie with a faux tuxedo tie on it); a smiling Homeland Security Security Alejandro Mayorkas; Secretary of State Antony John Blinken (just back from Beijing); Department of Interior Secretary Deb Haaland; and Maryland Gov. Wes Moore along with his mom.

There was Hollywood glamor, including singer John Legend, “Pretty in Pink” actress Molly Ringwald (wearing yellow this particular night), actor Andrew McCarthy and actress Scarlett Johansson, who is Jost’s wife.

The event wasn’t without some drama. The politics of the time loomed outside the banquet hall as pro-Palestinian protesters tried to block access to the hotel.

Saturday’s dinner was otherwise a return to the grandeur of years past when elected officials and reporters came together for off-the-record food and fun. It’s a let-your-hair-down, boozy sort of affair that had a bit of an identity crisis during the Trump administration – because he refused to attend – and during the pandemic when it was twice canceled.

Last year, the jokes were about the party being a super-spreader event. It wasn’t.

This year, the dinner was back in full force and focused on presidential candidates and the heated rivalry ahead of the November election.

The Correspondents’ Association also honored journalists for their work over the past year. They are: Axios’ Barak Ravid, the New York Times’ Peter Baker and Doug Mills, NPR’s Tamara Keith, and journalists from the Washington Post, NBC and a collaborative project by the Texas Tribune, ProPublica and Frontline.

POLITICO’s Lisa Kashinsky contributed.