Biden and Jost Mock Trump's Legal Woes at White House Correspondents' Dinner

At the 2023 White House Correspondents' Dinner on Saturday night, President Joe Biden and comedian Colin Jost targeted former President Donald Trump's escalating legal challenges. The event, which attracted nearly 3,000 attendees including celebrities and journalists, offered a stage for the president and the "Saturday Night Live" star to ridicule Trump's ongoing trials and tribulations.

Biden, in his remarks, referred to Trump as "Sleepy Don" and jested about the significant age gap between the two likely 2024 presidential contenders. "I'm a grown man running against a 6-year-old," Biden quipped, eliciting laughter from the crowd. The president also made a subtle reference to the Stormy Daniels hush money case, saying Trump has encountered some "tempestuous conditions" lately.

Jost, who served as the featured entertainer for the evening, devoted a substantial part of his comedy set to criticizing Trump. He joked about being a potential juror in Trump's New York criminal trial and made light of the former president's legal situation. "Even Jimmy Carter might think he could win this election," Jost said, mocking the advanced ages of both Biden and Trump.

The dinner, which is typically a lighthearted affair celebrating the free press, assumed a more serious tone at times. Biden cautioned that another Trump administration could be even more detrimental to America than his first term, stressing the high stakes of the upcoming presidential election. The event also witnessed large protests outside the venue over the ongoing war in Gaza, with demonstrators accusing Biden of supporting Israel's military campaign and criticizing the media's coverage of the conflict.

Trump, who never attended the White House Correspondents' Dinner during his presidency, promptly responded to Biden and Jost. In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump called the event "really bad" and said Jost "BOMBED" while Biden was "an absolute disaster." The former president has a history of being a target at the annual dinner, with some speculating that the ridicule he faced from President Barack Obama at the 2011 event fueled his desire to run for the White House.

As the dinner unfolded inside the Washington Hilton, hundreds of pro-Palestinian protesters gathered outside to voice their discontent with the Biden administration's handling of the Israel-Hamas conflict. The growing public discord over the war in Gaza largely went unmentioned by the event's participants, highlighting the challenge of setting aside political divisions and global crises in the lead-up to a contentious presidential election.

Key Takeaways

• Biden and Jost mocked Trump's legal troubles at the White House Correspondents' Dinner.
• Biden referred to Trump as "Sleepy Don" and joked about their age gap.
• Jost criticized Trump's legal situation and advanced age of both candidates.
• Protests outside the event criticized Biden's support for Israel's military campaign in Gaza.
• The dinner highlighted the political divide and challenges ahead of the 2024 election.