WASHINGTON — NBC News------- President Joe Biden on Saturday used his White House Correspondents' Association dinner speech to swipe at former President Donald Trump, taking shots at the presumptive GOP nominee while highlighting the stakes of the election.
Biden cracked jokes at his political rival's expense and tackled age head-on, saying that he was “a grown man running against a 6-year-old.”
The president said later that age was the only thing he and Trump had in common, adding, “My vice president actually endorses me,” a reference to former Vice President Mike Pence's refusal to say he'll back his former running mate in 2024.
But Biden's speech took a serious turn when he discussed the stakes of November's presidential election, echoing themes of his campaign speeches as he highlighted what he called Trump's “attack on our democracy.”
The president urged the press to “rise up to the seriousness of the moment.”
“Move past the horse race numbers and the 'gotcha' moments and the distractions and the sideshows that have come to dominate and sensationalize our politics, and focus on what’s actually at stake,” Biden said. “I think in your hearts, you know what's at stake.”
Biden also highlighted the detention of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who has been imprisoned in Russia for more than a year on espionage charges that he and his employer deny. His case has been classified as a wrongful detention by the U.S.
The president called on Russian President Vladimir Putin to release Gershkovich immediately, adding that the White House was also doing everything it could to bring home freelance journalist Austin Tice and businessman Paul Whelan.
Gershkovich’s parents and Tice’s mother were among the approximately 2,600 guests at the dinner, an estimate provided by NBC News political correspondent Steve Kornacki in a video that played at the event.
“I give you my word as a Biden: We're not going to give up until we get them home,” Biden said. “All of them.”
Biden also highlighted the wrongful detention of Americans abroad, including Gershkovich, at last year's dinner. The president emphasized during last year’s remarks that “journalism is not a crime,” noting that a free press is a “pillar” of a “free society.”
Celebrities who went to Saturday's event included Scarlett Johansson, who is married to Jost, as well as Rachel Brosnahan and Quavo. High-profile politicians and administration officials, including Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., attended as well.
First lady Jill Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and second gentleman Doug Emhoff also attended the event, which took place at the Washington Hilton.