I’m really excited to be here tonight with the only team of Americans with a lower acceptance score than me. This is hard to say after what we have just seen.
This is the first time a president has attended this dinner in six years. It is understandable. We had a horrible plague followed by two years of Covid.
Imagine if my predecessor came to this dinner this year. Now, this would really be a real coup if it happened. A little hard, huh?
But it is my honor to be here at such an event with so much history.
As already mentioned, the first president to attend the White House Correspondents’ Dinner was Calvin Coolidge in 1924. I had just been elected to the United States Senate. And I remember – I remember saying to him, “Come on, be yourself. Get up and speak from the heart. You will be wonderful, my child. You will do well.”
Of course, Jill is with me tonight. Gili, how are you, my child? I think – I think she does an incredible job as a first lady. The first lady who continues to work full time, and does so as a teacher.
She does not pay much attention to the polls, although she said the other day: Instead of introducing myself as Jill Biden’s wife, maybe I should introduce myself as her roommate.
I have attended this dinner many times, but this is my first time as president. And the organizers had – they made it difficult – very difficult for me tonight. The good news though is that if all goes well, I have a real chance to replace James Corden.
It was great to have him at the White House the other day, just when he announced he was leaving the show. A great performer comes out on top after eight years at work. Sounds almost right to me.
And it’s hard to follow professionals like James and Billy Eichner. Billy, where are you again? You – where is he?
Well, Billy, you’re famous for interviewing – your interviewing skills. Billy, you need to know what you’re doing, man. You know it, you know it well. And you should – I think – host “Meet the Press”. Maybe they’ll start seeing it again.
I never had – I never had to – I never had to open – I will never be – I will never be invited to “Meet the Press” again. Anyway.
I never had to open it before Trevor Noah. Trevor is wonderful. When I was elected, he did a show and called me “America’s new dad.” Let me tell you something, man: I’m flattered that anything would call me “new”. You are my type.
And, children, those were difficult years for the country. That’s a great reason to be here again.
Everyone in the White House is so excited. I told my grandchildren and Pete Buttigieg that they could stay up late and watch this show tonight.
Tonight – tonight we come here and answer a very important question in everyone’s mind: Why the hell are we still doing this?
I know there are – I know there are questions about whether we should gather here tonight because of Covid. Well, we are here to show the country that we are going through this pandemic. In addition, everyone had to prove that they were fully vaccinated and fortified.
So if you’re at home watching this and wondering how to do it, just contact your favorite Fox News reporter. They are all here, vaccinated and strengthened – all of them.
And, look, Fox – Fox News, I’m – I’m really sorry the candidate you preferred lost the last election. To make it happen, I’m happy to give you my chief of staff so he can tell Sean Hannity what to say every day.
In fact, Ron Klain is here at the CBS table, hiring Mick Mulvaney. Mick, on CBS? I was stunned. I thought he would end up in “The Masked Singer” with Rudy.
Amazing intake, guys. Really quite amazing.
Look, I know this is a difficult city. I took office with an ambitious agenda and expected that he would face fierce opposition in the Senate. I was just hoping it would be Republicans.
But I’m not worried about intermediates. I’m not worried about them. We may end up with a more partisan impasse, but I’m sure we can resolve it in the remaining six years of my presidency.
And, guys, I’m not really here to bake the GOP. This is not my style. Besides, I can not say anything about the GOP that Kevin McCarthy has not already put in the film.
And, you know, at the same time – at the same time, a lot of people are saying that the Republican Party is very extreme, very divisive, very controlled by one person. They say, “It’s not your father’s Republican Party.”
Ronald Reagan said, “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall.” Today’s Republicans say, “Destroy Mickey Mouse’s house.” And very soon, they will invade Cinderella castle, you can be sure of that.
But Republicans seem to be supporting one man – someone named Brandon. He is having a very good year and I am very happy for him.
Let me conclude with a serious word.
We live in serious times. We are going through a catastrophic pandemic and we must remain vigilant. I know that Kamala wanted to be here, for example, and fortunately she is doing well. You all need to know that she is sending her best self.
We are at a time when what we have so long taken for granted, we are facing the most serious threats. And I’m deadly serious.
Supervision- [sic] Abroad, the liberal world order that laid the foundations for world peace, stability and prosperity since World War II is under real, serious attack.
And at home, a poison pervades the democracy of us all – all this takes place through massive misinformation, where truth is buried by lies and lies live as truth.
What is clear – and I mean it from the bottom of my heart – is that you, the free press, are more important than you ever were in the last century. No, I really mean it.
I have always believed that good journalism holds a mirror to ourselves, to reflect on the good, the bad and the true. Tonight, I want to congratulate the award winners and scholarship winners who continue this sacred tradition.
We have all seen the courage of the Ukrainian people because of the courage of the American reporters in this room and your colleagues around the world, who are on the ground, taking their lives into their own hands.
And although he is not in Ukraine, he is Russia – Mom, I would like to meet you and Dad to talk about your son.
Just – we just saw a heartbreaking video: Nine killed citing from Kyiv – hit by kamikaze drone attack after attack on mall. was shot in the neck while being detuned [sic] – while – in documenting the departure of Ukrainians. was killed when Russian missiles hit the TV tower in a residential neighborhood. A Radio Liberty journalist was killed just days ago.
So many of you who tell stories and take pictures and record videos of what’s going on there, the true truth that comes out – that shows it – destruction and destruction and, yes, war crimes.
Tonight, we also honor the legacy of two historic reporters, namely Alice Dunnigan and Ethel Payne. Glad you saw it tonight. I did not know you did that. These are the first black women to become White House reporters who disbanded the convention to cover a divided nation.
We honor the journalists who were killed, ignored, imprisoned, detained and tortured. covering up the war, exposing corruption and holding the leaders accountable.
We honor members of the press, national and local, who cover a pandemic that occurs every century, where we have lost a million Americans, a generation that counts on race and the existential threat of climate change.
The free press is not the enemy of the people – far from it. At best, you are the guardians of the truth.
President Kennedy once said, and I quote: “Without discussion, without criticism, no administration, no country can succeed and no democracy can survive.”
The First Amendment provides the free press with exceptional protection, but with it, like many of you, comes a very heavy obligation: to seek the truth as best you can – not to ignite or entertain, but to enlighten and educate.
I know it’s hard. And I’m not brave. The industry is changing significantly.
There is incredible pressure on all of you to provide heat instead of throwing light, because technology is changing so much, the system is changing. But it does matter. I’m not kidding. Counts. The truth matters.
American democracy is not reality. It is not reality. It is the reality itself. And the reality is that we are a big country.
Our future is bright. It is not guaranteed, because democracy is never guaranteed. It must be won. He must defend himself. It must be protected.
As you have heard me say many times: There is nothing that this country can not do when we are united and we do it together. And I know we can do what we want to do, that’s right.
I’ve been here a long time, as has been pointed out many times tonight. But I give you my word as Biden: I have never been more optimistic about America than I am today. I really mean it.
In times of great change, it presents enormous opportunities. Because despite all the crises, all the partisanship, all the voices and the show,
I really know this and you know it: We are a wonderful nation because we are basically good people.
And here in America, good journalism, good satire on our leaders, on our society, is essentially an American thing. Demonstrates the power of our example.
And I, honest to God, believe that it reveals our soul – the soul of our nation. And that’s what I want to toast tonight, if I may.
(The President offers a toast.)
To journalists and their families, to the people and their elected representatives, in the United States of America.
And by the way, Madeleine Albright was right: We are the necessary nation.
Ladies and gentlemen, I will now hand it over to Trevor, I will stick to my seat.
And, Trevor, the really good news is: You can now oust the President of the United States and, unlike Moscow, you will not go to jail.
The podium is yours.
