During the annual White House Correspondents' Dinner on Saturday, President Biden faced a comedic roast from journalists, celebrities, and politicians in an election-year setting. However, the event was overshadowed by public discord surrounding the Israel-Hamas conflict, as protesters outside criticized both Mr. Biden's approach to the crisis and the Western media's coverage of it.
Similar to his predecessors, Mr. Biden took the opportunity at the White House Correspondents' Association banquet to take jabs at his rival, former President Donald Trump. Following the light-hearted jokes, he delivered serious warnings about the potential consequences of a Trump presidency.
Despite hundreds of demonstrators gathering outside the venue to protest the Gaza conflict and express concerns about the humanitarian crisis in the region, as well as the dangers faced by journalists covering the war, the topic loomed large over the evening. However, speakers inside only briefly touched on the conflict, with some having to navigate through the protesters to enter the event. In his approximately 10-minute speech, Mr. Biden did not address the ongoing war or the escalating humanitarian situation in Gaza.
Protesters Disrupt White House Correspondents' Dinner
Shame on you!" protesters draped in the traditional Palestinian keffiyeh cloth shouted, running after men in tuxedos and suits and women in long dresses who were holding clutch purses as guests hurried inside for the dinner.
Chants accused U.S. journalists of undercovering the war and misrepresenting it. "Western media we see you, and all the horrors that you hide," crowds chanted at one point.
Other protesters lay sprawled motionless on the pavement, next to mock-ups of flak vests with "press" insignia.
Ralliers cried "Free, free Palestine." They cheered when at one point someone inside the Washington Hilton — where the dinner has been held for decades — unfurled a Palestinian flag from a top-floor hotel window.
Criticism of the Mr. Biden administration's support for Israel's six-month-old military offensive in Gaza has spread through American college campuses, with students pitching encampments in an effort to force their universities to divest from Israel. Counterprotests back Israel's offensive and complain of antisemitism.
Mr. Biden's motorcade Saturday took an alternate route from the White House to the Washington Hilton than in previous years, largely avoiding the crowds of demonstrators.
Mr. Biden's speech before nearly 3,000 people was being followed by entertainer Colin Jost from "Saturday Night Live." Academy Award winner Da'Vine Joy Randolph, Scarlett Johansson, Jon Hamm and Chris Pines were among other stars.
Kelly O'Donnell, president of the correspondents' association, set the tone for the evening by highlighting the crucial role journalists play in society, especially during this pivotal election year.
During her address, O'Donnell brought attention to the numerous journalists who have been imprisoned worldwide, including Americans Evan Gershkovich and Austin Tice. The families of these journalists were present, as they have been in previous years. She also briefly mentioned reporters who lost their lives in the conflict between Israel and Hamas.
President Biden, in his speech, wasted no time in poking fun at former President Trump, dubbing him "sleepy Don" and emphasizing their differences despite their similar ages.
Mr. Biden humorously pointed out that his own vice president endorses him, in contrast to former Vice President Mike Pence's refusal to endorse Trump for re-election.
However, the mood turned serious as President Biden addressed the audience about the high stakes of the upcoming election, warning that another term under a Trump administration would be detrimental to the country.
Highlighting the events of January 6th, when Trump supporters stormed the Capitol following Mr. Biden's victory, the president urged the audience to take the election seriously, emphasizing the importance of the moment.
Law enforcement, including the Secret Service, have instituted extra street closures and other measures to ensure what Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said would be the "highest levels of safety and security for attendees."
The agency was working with Washington police to protect demonstrators' right to assemble, Guglielmi said. However, "we will remain intolerant to any violent or destructive behavior."
Protest organizers said they wanted to bring attention to the high numbers of Palestinian and other Arab journalists killed by Israel's military since the war began in October.
More than two dozen journalists in Gaza wrote a letter last week calling on their colleagues in Washington to boycott the dinner altogether.
"The toll exacted on us for merely fulfilling our journalistic duties is staggering," the letter states. "We are subjected to detentions, interrogations, and torture by the Israeli military, all for the 'crime' of journalistic integrity."
One organizer complained that the White House Correspondents' Association — which represents the hundreds of journalists who cover the president — largely has been silent since the first weeks of the war about the killings of Palestinian journalists. WHCA did not respond to request for comment.
According to a preliminary investigation released Friday by the Committee to Protect Journalists, nearly 100 journalists have been killed covering the war in Gaza. Israel has defended its actions, saying it has been targeting militants.
"Since the Israel-Gaza war began, journalists have been paying the highest price— their lives—to defend our right to the truth. Each time a journalist dies or is injured, we lose a fragment of that truth," expressed CPJ Program Director Carlos Martínez de la Serna.
Sandra Tamari, executive director of Adalah Justice Project, a U.S.-based Palestinian advocacy group that helped organize the letter from journalists in Gaza, stated "it is shameful for the media to dine and laugh with President Biden while he enables the Israeli devastation and starvation of Palestinians in Gaza."
Adalah Justice Project initiated an email campaign directed at 12 media executives from various news outlets, including The Associated Press, who were expected to attend the dinner and had previously endorsed a letter advocating for the protection of journalists in Gaza.
"How can you still go when your colleagues in Gaza asked you not to?" questioned a demonstrator to the guests entering. "You are complicit."
