To Those Who Doubt President Biden’s Vitality, Watch His Presentation at the White House Correspondents Dinner

President Joe Biden killed it at the White House Correspondents Dinner last night (April 30, 2023.)

Using a dry wit combined with sincere convictions, the President mixed shout-outs to journalists still detained in the world’s hot spots, well-delivered jokes at MAGA conservative expense,  and calls to fight to preserve the soul of America in an over 20-minute presentation to national journalists.

At the start of his presentation, the President acknowledged the still detainment of journalists around the world’s hot spots including Austin Tice, Paul Whelan, and “other Americans being unjustly held in Iran, Venezuela, China, and elsewhere. Their stories may not make headlines or hashtags, but every day — every day, their family looks at that empty chair at the kitchen table — birthdays, anniversaries, holidays without them. The pain of living in limbo. In a sense, it’s almost worse than the pain of having lost a child and looking at that empty chair. The stress of not knowing. The sorrow of uncertainty. But I want them and their families to know Jill and I understand. We see them. They are not forgotten. And I promise you I am working like hell to get them home.”

A little later, the President remarked:

“Because of our unrelenting efforts, we’ve been able to bring home dozens of hostages and wrongfully detainees — wrongful detainees from Afghanistan, Burma, Haiti, Iran, Rwanda, Venezuela, across West Africa, and around the world…Above all, across government, experts are working day and night to bring our fellow Americans home…But my commitment — my commitment is to bring them home, just as I know your commitment is to continue to be a free and fearless press.”

During these remarks, the President also welcomed WBNA star and former Russian prisoner Brittney Griner, saying:

It’s great to have you home. And, boy, I can hardly wait to see you back on the court, kid. Remember your promise. I get to bring my granddaughter, my All-State girl, to see you.”

The President then pivoted to a series of one liners, mostly aimed at those in the press who worry about his age and MAGA conservatives. Among the President’s funniest lines were:

• “After all, I believe in the First Amendment — not just because my good friend Jimmy Madison wrote it.”
• “You might think I don’t like Rupert Murdoch. That’s simply not true. How could I dislike the guy who makes me look like Harry Styles? You call me old? I call it being seasoned. You say I’m ancient? I say I’m wise. You say I’m over the hill? Don Lemon would say that’s a man in his prime.”
• “I want everybody to have fun tonight, but please be safe. If you find yourself disoriented or confused, it’s either you’re drunk or Marjorie Taylor Greene.”
• “But not everybody loves NPR. Elon Musk tweeted that it should be defunded. Well, the best way to make NPR go away is for Elon Musk to buy it. And that’s more true than you think.”
• “But the job isn’t finished. I mean — it is finished for Tucker Carlson.”
• “We added 12 million jobs, and that’s just counting the lawyers to — who defended the president.” (Trump for those who need clarity.
• “Had Ron DeSantis — I had a lot of Ron DeSangi- — Ron DeSantis jokes ready, but Mickey Mouse beat the hell out of me and got there first. Now, look — can’t be too rough on the guy. After his reelection as governor, he was asked if he had a mandate. He said, “Hell no, I’m straight. I’m straight. I’ll give you time to think that one through. You got it?”
• “Last year, your favorite Fox News reporters were able to attend because they were fully vaccinated and boosted.This year, with that $787 million settlement, they’re here because they couldn’t say no to a free meal.”

The President then concluded his remarks, commenting on the vital role the Black Press played in accurately recording the events leading up to and after the murder of 14 year old black child Emmett Till, saying:

“During Black History Month this year, I hosted the screening of the movie “Till.” The story of Emmett Till and his mother is a story of a family’s promise and loss and a nation’s reckoning with hate, violence, and the abuse of power. It’s a story that was seared into our memory and our conscience — the nation’s conscience — when Mrs. Till insisted that an open casket for her murdered and maimed 14-year-old son be the means by which he was transported. She said, “Let the people see what I’ve seen.” The reason the world saw what she saw was because of another hero in this story: the Black press. That’s a fact. Jet Magazine, the Chicago Defender, and other Black radio and newspapers were unflinching and brave in making sure America saw what she saw…”

Mr. Biden then reminded everyone why a free press is essential to protecting Democracy and the Soul of America, saying:

“Ida B. Wells — Ida B. Wells once said, and I quote, ‘The way to right wrongs is to turn the light of truth upon the wrongs.’ ‘Turn the light of truth upon the wrongs.’That’s the sacred view, in my view. That’s the sacred charge of a free press. And I mean that. That’s what someone we still miss so much, who you honored posthumously, stood for. Gwen Ifill. You know, she was among the very best. We talked about it at the table. She moderated my first debate for Vice President and was a trusted voice for millions of Americans. Gwen understood that the louder the noise, the more it’s on all of us to cut through the noise to the truth. The truth matters. As I said last year at this dinner, a poison is running through our democracy and parts of the extreme press. The truth buried by lies, and lies living on as truth. Lies told for profit and power. Lies of conspiracy and malice repeated over and over again, designed to generate a cycle of anger, hate, and even violence. A cycle that emboldens history to be buried, books to be banned, children and families to be attacked by the state, and the rule of law and our rights and freedoms to be stripped away. And where elected representatives of the people are expelled from statehouses for standing for the people. I’ve made clear that we know in our bones — and you know it too — our democracy remains at risk. But I’ve also made it clear, as I’ve seen throughout my life, it’s within our power,each and every one of us, to preserve our democracy. We can. We must. We will… (During a toast) At this inflection point in history, let us commit that we’ll be a nation that will embrace light over darkness, truth over lies, and finally, finally, finally restore the soul of the nation.

The Presidents last comments reflect the themes, along with his and Vice President Harris’s considerable record of legislative achievement, of  “Freedom, Democracy, and America,” of the reelection campaign.

A vibrant free press, at the local, state, and national level, is essential to carrying that message. Do not let  corporate profit and lie seekers destroy it.