1/5
President Joe Biden will attend his first White House Correspondents’ Dinner this weekend as the focus of the event’s humor. Biden will be the first president to attend the dinner since Barack Obama in 2016. File Photo by Andrew Harrer/UPI | License Photo
April 29 (UPI) — After a two-year COVID-19 pause, the White House Correspondents’ Dinner will make its return to Washington, D.C., this weekend and include a sitting president for the first time in six years.
The dinner, hosted by the White House Correspondents’ Association, is intended as a celebration of the First Amendment — but it’s well known for poking fun at both the president and the press that cover him.
President Joe Biden announced last week that he and first lady Jill Biden would attend the event, though they plan to skip the eating portion of the night to cut down on their exposure to COVID-19.
The dinner has been held almost annually since its inception in 1921 — usually with the president in attendance, who often serves as the butt of the night’s friendly jokes. Biden will be the first sitting president at the event since former Barack Obama‘s final dinner in 2016.
Here’s a look at some of the more memorable moments from past dinners:
Trump skips all three
President Donald Trump, who had an adversarial relationship with the press, never attended a single White House Correspondents’ Dinner during his time in office. File Photo by Leigh Vogel/UPI
Former President Donald Trump, who has an acrimonious relationship with the press, refused to go to the three dinners of his presidency. A fourth, which would have been in 2020, was canceled due to COVID-19.
Trump famously slammed the event in 2018 after comedian Michelle Wolf delivered barbed jokes at the Trump administration’s expense.
“Everyone is talking about the fact that the White House Correspondents Dinner was a very big, boring bust … the so-called comedian really ‘bombed,'” he tweeted.
Wolf specifically took aim at then-White House press secretary Sarah Sanders, who was in attendance, and drew criticism even from some of the Trump administration’s biggest detractors.
“I actually really like Sarah. I think she’s very resourceful,” Wolf said. “[She] burns facts, and then she uses that ash to create a perfect smoky eye. Like, maybe she’s born with it, maybe it’s lies,” Wolf said as a television camera cut to Sanders at the head table.
“… Obama out!”
President Barack Obama speaks as Luther, his translator played by comedian Keegan-Michael Key, gestures during the annual White House Correspondents’ Dinner at the Washington Hilton on April 25, 2015. File Photo by Olivier Douliery/UPI
Obama drew attention for his 2015 appearance at the dinner, when he had comedian and actor Keegan-Michael Key serve as his “anger translator.” The character of Luther was one Key developed for his sketch show Key & Peele with Jordan Peele.
As Obama spoke, Luther would translate the remarks into an unfiltered assessment of what the president was really thinking, but maybe shouldn’t say.
“Despite our differences, we count on the press to shed light on the most important issues of the day,” Obama opened his remarks.
“And we can count on Fox News to terrify old White people with some nonsense,” Key added. “‘Shariah law is coming to Cleveland, run for the damn hills!’ Y’all is ridiculous!”
A year later, Obama drew laughs and applause with a literal mic drop at the end of his final dinner.
“It has been an honor and a privilege to work side by side with you to strengthen our democracy. And with that, I just have two more words to say: Obama out,” he said.
Bush’s mirror image
U.S. President George W. Bush (L) and his “inner monologue,” played by comedian Steve Bridges, wave at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in Washington, D.C., on April 29, 2006. File Photo by Roger L. Wollenberg/UPI
President George W. Bush wasn’t above poking fun at himself — and at the 2006 correspondents dinner he invited impersonator Steve Bridges onto the stage. Bridges was known for his spot-on impression of the 43rd president.
Much like Key, Bridges provided humorous commentary on what Bush was really thinking, but probably shouldn’t say.
“Here I am at another one of these dang press dinners. Could be home asleep … but no I gotta pretend I like being here,” he said with laughs from the crowd. “The media really ticks me off. The way they try to embarrass me by not editing what I say.”
Bridges even mimicked Bush’s mannerisms and body language during the speech.
Lonely Clinton’s “Final Days”
President Bill Clinton gestures during a speech at the annual dinner of the White House Correspondents’ Association at the Washington Hilton Hotel on April 25, 1998. File Photo by Michael Smith/UPI
President Bill Clinton used his final dinner, in 2000, to bid farewell to his eight years in office. The White House, in fact, produced an amusing short film depicting his “Final Days” in a largely empty West Wing.
Several famous journalists of the time made cameos, including White House correspondent Helen Thomas, who was herself in the final days of her 57 years with UPI.
In the video, a lonely Clinton was seen answering his own phone calls, wandering the empty halls of the White House, making origami animals and doing his laundry.
The film drew high praise from the White House Correspondents’ Association and many who saw the film. In fact, he later mimicked one of the scenes in the film when he and first lady Hillary Clinton were departing for separate trips — handing her a brown bag with a lunch he’d prepared for her.
The 2022 White House Correspondents’ Dinner is scheduled for 7 p.m. EDT on Saturday. It will be broadcast by CNN and hosted by The Daily Show comedian Trevor Noah.
