Ukraine asks China for security guarantee

US President Joe Biden made fun of himself, Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump during the annual gala dinner for the White House press corps.

– Trevor, the good news is that you are now allowed to make fun of the President of the United States. And unlike in Moscow, you do not risk ending up in prison, Biden said just before giving the floor to host, comedian and talk show host Trevor Noah.

2600 press people, celebrities and people from the civil service were invited.

The White House Press Corps has had the presidents as guests at its annual dinner since 1924, when Calvin Coolidge was president. Saturday’s dinner was the first since 2019, before the corona pandemic broke out.

It was also the first time since 2016 that the president attended, when the event was boycotted by Donald Trump during his entire presidency.

Biden joked both with Trump and his own low support for polls, and he was on the notes when Noah joked with him.

– I am very happy to be here with the only group of Americans with less support in the people than me, Biden said.

There was also room for some seriousness, with references to the war in Ukraine and challenges to democracy and freedom of the press both domestically and abroad.

Biden praised the journalists covering the war in Ukraine, and he warned of a massive increase in disinformation, calling it a “poison flowing through our democracy.”

– I say this from the heart: You, the four press, mean more than you ever did in the last century. You are the guardians of the truth, said Biden.

(NTB)

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