Joe Biden bright and ironic, as expected for a president of the United States at the traditional dinner of the Correspondents in the White House .

He spared no jokes about his age but also attacked his predecessor Donald Trump, without naming him directly. "The first president who attended this dinner was Calvin Coolidge in 1924, I had just been elected to the Senate," he said jokingly about his 79 years . "I'm glad that 42% of you applauded me", he adds referring to the 42% approval he has in the polls, and "to be here with the only group of Americans that has a lower rating than me", that is average and journalists "enemies of the people" as Trump called them for years.

The last president to speak at the dinner was Barack Obama: "I am the first president to participate in the last six years - he added, giving Trump a jab -. We had a terrible plague followed by two years of Covid".

From Trump he then moves on to Fox , the favorite network of the tycoon and skeptical of the pandemic and vaccines, and to the Republicans, the party of the former president. "If you are at home and wondering how and why to get vaccinated, talk to your favorite Fox reporter. They are all vaccinated and have the third dose as well." Then speaking to the Fox reporters present in the room he says: "I'm sorry that your favorite candidate lost the election. To make me forgive I can give you the chief of staff to tell Sean Hannity what to talk about every day". A sharp joke with which Biden pointed the finger on the latest scandal of the text messages exchanged before and during the assault on Congress on January 6 between Hannity, one of the most popular faces of Fox, with Mark Meadows, the chief of staff of Trump .

After Fox , it is the Republicans who end up in Biden's sights . "Reagan told Gorbachev, knock the wall down. Today the Republicans say: tear down Mickey's house, and they'll soon attack Cinderella's castle," Biden jokes indirectly about the Florida dispute between Republican White House wannabe Governor Ron DeSantis. and Disney on the controversial “don't say gay” law, which prevents talking about sexual orientation and gender in schools.

In the irony of the evening, however, Biden does not forget the " devastating pandemic ". "We have to stay vigilant," he says to a room with over 2,500 people, most of them without masks. "American democracy is not a reality show. A free press is not the enemy of the people, it is the guardian of freedom", he adds before taking his leave and giving the floor to comedian Trevor Noah. "Now you can attack the president - he says laughing - and considering that you are not in Moscow you will not end up in prison".

(Unioneonline / D)

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