White House Correspondents Dinner: President Biden And Host Roy Wood Jr. Lob Jokes At Fox News, POTUS' Age

The Daily Show's Roy Wood Jr. this Saturday evening was the lead entertainer at the White House Correspondents Association Dinner, a fundraiser for scholarships for aspiring journalists. The annual event is held in the Washington Hilton Ballroom, and this year aired on C-SPAN, CNN and MSNBC.

President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden, as well as Vice President Kamala Harris and Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff, were all in attendance.

Former Daily Show host Trevor Noah emceed last year's WHCD, which was the first to be held in person since a pre-pandemic 2019. That gala was also the first to actually be attended by the sitting POTUS since 2016.

The typically jovial night opened with a pre-taped segment from movie star and former governor of California Arnold Schwarzenegger, who spoke of the importance of a free press as an "ally of the people." Biden would echo that sentiment with his opening remarks, declaring, "A free press is a pillar, maybe the pillar, of a free society. Not the enemy."

There was also a pre-taped bit about how the White House briefing room is getting an overdue facelift, with the Property Brothers on hand to walk everyone through their overambitious vision.

Below, find other highlights from the evening. 

On the importance of free speech, "I believe in the First Amendment — and not just because my good friend Jimmy Madison wrote it."

Again riffing on his age (80), "You say I'm 'ancient,' 'over the hill.' Don Lemon would say, 'That's a man in his prime.'"

"People think I don't like Rupert Murdoch. That's simply not true. How could I dislike someone that makes me look like Harry Styles?"

"Y'all keep reporting that my approval rating is at 42%. [Embattled Speaker of the House] Kevin McCarthy called me and asked, 'What the hell is your secret?'"

After urging the attendees to have a "good time" but "be safe," Biden said, "If you find yourself disoriented or confused, it's either because you're drunk, or Marjorie Taylor Greene."

Reiterating his re-election motto, "The job isn't finished! I mean, it is finished for Tucker Carlson...."

"We added so many jobs. And that's just counting the lawyers who defended the president [Trump]."

Giving shout-outs to the cabler newsers in the house, Biden nodded at "MSNBC, owned by NBCU," and then at "Fox News, owned by Dominion Voting Systems." Then in another reference to that $787 million defamation suit settlement, Biden said that Fox News employees were at the dinner this year "because they couldn't say no to a free meal."

Taking his turn at the podium right after Biden, Wood Jr. grabbed some papers and informed POTUS that he had left behind some "classified documents."

Regarding Fox News' $787 lawsuit settlement, Wood Jr, said there are three people you never want to face in court: "Dominion, Cardi B., or Gwyneth Paltrow. You're gonna lose!"

"Half this room thinks I'm Kenan Thompson, the other half thinks I'm Louis Armstrong. President Biden thinks I'm the dad on Family Matters."

Wood Jr. announced that the WHCA's top scholarship winner this year was in fact "Arizona State senior George Santos," but he couldn't attend because he was "auditioning for RuPaul's Drag Race."

Talking about how Byron Allen and Tyler Perry are battling to snatch up the home to Sistas & Co., Wood Jr. remarked, "That's how bad it is out there. These companies are so broke they're giving BET back to Black people!"

To the producers and staff of Tucker Carlson Tonight, the Daily Show correspondent empathized, "I, too, know whats it's like to be blindsided by the departure of the host of a fake news program."

Regarding cable news' other recent ouster, "Yes, Don Lemon was a diva and he said a couple of women are ragged in the face — but that's a promotion at Fox News."

Likening Trump's dissatisfying indictment to a pot brownie that doesn't seem to kick in: "Do I feel justice...? This don't feel like justice."

Amid a riff on Ron DeSantis, "Ask any Republican to explain CRT. They sound like a Democrat trying to explain the charges against Trump."

Regarding the Justice Clarence Thomas/billionaire Harlan Crow luxury gifts scandal, "Do you understand how rich you have to be to buy a Supreme Court Justice? A Black one on top of that? There's only two in stock!"

Talking about how French people recently rioted over a plan to raise the retirement age two years to 64, "Meanwhile in America, we have an 80-year-old man begging us for four more years of work! Begging."

Again regarding Biden's age, "There's been no scandal more damaging than the scandal of, 'Is Joe Biden awake?' Say what you want about our president, when he wakes up from that nap, work gets done. He might doze off but then it's, 'Zzzzz, infrastructure bill!' 'Zzzzz, student loan forgiveness!'"

Turning his attention to Kamala Harris, Wood Jr. said that people never asked what a VP did or didn't do until the first woman one came along. For example, "The only thing I know about Mike Pence is that he's really good at playing hide-and-seek at the Capitol."

Then, after saying that Dick Cheney is the (very low) bar for VPs to clear, Wood Jr. noted how Cheney was so bad there's a documentary about his time in office: "If they can make a documentary about your time as vice president, you vice president'd incorrectly."