Biden combines comedy with dire warnings about democracy at the Washington Gala
President Biden delivered a mix of jokes and sharp criticism at the presumptive Republican nominee, former President Donald J. Trump, at the Gridiron Club dinner in Washington on Saturday.
“One candidate is too old and mentally unfit to be president,” Biden said. “The other man is me.”
It was the first time since he became president that he had attended the dinner, a light-hearted evening in a series of high-profile gatherings in Washington where politicians and journalists don white gloves and bow ties to lightly roast each other through speeches and skits. The Gridiron Club, one of the oldest journalism associations in Washington, hosted the dinner at the Grand Hyatt in Washington.
However, Biden did not just focus on his opponent. He saved time for an investigation into Republicans in Congress and their efforts to oust him and his Homeland Security Secretary, Alejandro N. Mayorkas.
“Republicans would rather fail at impeachment than succeed at anything else,” he said. Referring to Leo Varadkar, the Irish prime minister, who was sitting at his table, Mr Biden said: “He took one look at Congress and asked for another Guinness.”
But during the roughly nine-minute remarks, Mr. Biden also struck a more serious tone, issuing stark warnings about threats to democracy. His aides hope that emphasizing the stakes of the November election will draw voters to the polls amid low approval ratings for Biden.
“Freedom is under attack,” Biden said. “The lies about the 2020 election, the plot to overthrow it and the embrace of the January 6 insurrection pose the greatest threat to our democracy since the Civil War.”
“A poison coursing through the veins of our democracy,” Mr. Biden continued. “Disinformation everywhere. There is a toxic cycle of anger and conspiracy.”
The president also addressed Mr. Trump’s recent statement about not defending NATO allies who do not pay their dues to the alliance.
“Democracy and freedom are literally under attack,” Biden said. “Putin is on the march in Europe. My pastor bows to him and says, “Do whatever you want.” An American president actually said that.”
At the president’s table were Vice President Kamala Harris, his top Cabinet officials and Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon. Mr. Biden also selected two others to his table: the prime minister of Estonia and the Ukrainian ambassador.
“We will not bow, they will not bow and I will not bow,” Mr. Biden said.
Mr Biden also previewed his campaign as he delivered one of Mr Trump’s most memorable suggestions during the Covid pandemic. He pledged that his administration would show “how we weathered the pandemic, turned around the economy, and restored American leadership in the world — all without encouraging the American people to inject bleach.”
“Or without destroying the economy, embarrassing us around the world or yearning for insurrection,” he continued. “Look, I wish these were jokes, but they’re not.”