good evening, everyone, i'm ayman hohyeldin, welcome to the coverage of the 2024 white house correspondents it is the night where washington, d.c. needs hollywood. you're looking at life pictures from inside the washington hilton hotel where hundreds of journalists, lawmakers, officials and celebrities are eagerly awaiting the introduction of the evening's most important guest, at any moment. post colin jost, vice president kamala harris and and of course president joe biden are all expected to make their way into that ballroom. the annual dinner began all the way back in 1921 as an effort to raise money to support the journalists who cover the white house. association provides scholarships for future reporters and works to educate the public about the value of free press. tonight's glitz and glamour

provides at country contrast against the protests across the country continue to grow over the u.s. support for israel's war in gaza. demonstrators gathered in front of the hotel there in washington, d.c. as we barrel closer to the general election, biden's appointment, seems to be spending more and more time inside the courtroom then on the campaign trail. the last few days, the ex- president not only becomes the first former commander in chief to face criminal charges, he also battled at the supreme court for absolute immunity. a president biden has delivered many of these kinds of speeches before. the stakes tonight for what could perhaps be the president's last white house correspondent dinner, how certainly high. let's bring in our panel tonight, msnbc daily columnist and those of series xm. a democratic strategist to

former obama campaign advisor and series xm house and the cofounder of lincoln project, one half of the comedy duo, the good liar. it's good to have all of you here in the studio, greatly appreciate it. we'll keep an eye and this and once we start we will dip into it and take it live. let's start with you, i laid out on what is happening outside of the hotel. and what happens inside is just as important with the remarks. it's very important celebration, something i think is distinctly or uniquely american. the ability to have powerful people in the presence of journalist, comedy is a big part of it, a lot of roasting that goes on and a testament to how the powerful are spoken to in this country, free speech is a right that we all have. but it comes at a time when this country is facing some serious and dangerous challenges. >> absolutely. i think that even though it's a night of celebration, a night of supporting free press and understanding the importance of

it, the backdrop of what is going on in gaza is going to be seen and heard on the train up here in dc yesterday, the practice has been going on for days, four weeks and we're seeing more and more in the college campuses explode with students who are very interested and want to see humanitarian relief. they want to see an end to the endless fighting and also innocent lives that have been lost. those people are facing severe penalty and for those of student journalists were going to be future journalist, some of them will be in the seats right that we are in right now, some of them will be white house journalist, a backdrop that is serious and showing them that will be's and free speech. not always represented. >> we are seeing folks make their way way in and we are waiting for the president to be introduced as well. when that happens we will bring that to live. let me get the lead, message, at the same time, carries a lot

of political weight. it's an opportunity to deliver his message. and take some jabs as well. >> i was at the event last year and a lot of reporters, i am so old, how can you possibly do this, we can't pull it off, he will go out there in a walker. he went out and gave a fantastic almonds, light, funny, sharp. but also acknowledging importance of journalism in the country. it was a really good moment for him last year. i suspect we will have another good moment this year. he underscored on his ability to deliver in this big moments. >> we saw the state of the union, he knocked it out of the park. >> two in a row we managed to walk through the republicans and do a trap. and lastly, he was fun and light and wore the sunglasses. we will see that again tonight because the contrast is that joe biden is a happy warrior, a campaigning and having fun. there are 1 million problems he's facing but facing them with a lot of energy and a lot of genuine commitment to solving

them. and donald trump is in a courtroom, complaining about the air-conditioner. >> jason, you're probably the closest to a comedian on the stable, no offense to - - [ laughter ] i am the closest thing. >> you are the comedian at the table. let's talk about colin jost. what do you think he has to do? it's an important and certainly a very risky position to begin. if you will. >> yes, there's been several them memorable moments in the past, i think colin will do a great job. he will poke some fun on biden for his age. he might poke him a couple different ways. it will not get too heated. over the years, we saw stephen colbert go out there and roast george w. bush. silent room. let's take a listen.

let's take a listen. >> ♪ [music] ♪ finisher thought while he makes his entrance. >> there's been moments when obama roasted trump. >> people said that was the catalyst that basically gave the idf to run for president. >> i don't know who one that exchange because obama - - [ laughter ] >> it's the little things. i don't know if those jokes were worth it. president obama - - a >> from the comedic point of view, maybe it was. comedy is very important. >> dean, what are you looking out for us question >> they are going to be serve the same dinner. >> we are not going to tell the viewers what's in the mugs. >> i think colin jost, we

worked in the production staff, i remember him in 2004, young guy, out of harvard. really funny guy. he will do a great job. he has a biden quality. a nice person. doesn't come across with a hard edge, a soft edge. the difference between biden and obama, obama has, obama is like a comedian. biden will make fun of someone and back off and go, i'm kidding. obama did not. obama slammed mitch mcconnell and go i'm kidding. he slammed mitch connell, mitt romney, he uses it like a weapon. it was different. biden is, he will make fun of the media lot. the lack of coverage, that's good for him and negative we use, last year, the year before, two years ago, he made fun of the media. they always make fun of the media. it's a great celebration. what a great celebration of the first amendment. what our country is about. people outside is fully protesting. they are passionate.

inside, the president is being mocked, they are laughing telling jokes at his expense. i have been to other countries, and the middle east, you can do that. you can - - there's no early show. there's no second. >> and donald trump would not go to this for four years, like all dictators in the making, they want to be feared, not laughed at they want people to be afraid of them. they don't want to be a punchline and trump - - >> it's important when biden returned to the white house, this actually was reconstituted, it was always there, trump did not want to be made fun of because he knows that he is the most thin- skinned politician this country has probably had. >> every authoritarian feared comedy. feared mockery. feared irony. they fear sarcasm. donald trump is the up as everybody - - hypersensitive. are they - - are they looking

at me funny, do you think, he ate all of it. he so weak and so, frankly, all of these authoritarian tough guys at the end of the day, they can't take a joke they can't take a crack. >> how do you think biden should talk about donald trump tonight? obviously, we are in an election season and he has the attention of the world, and attend the president speech, he has the attention of the media. certainly, in an environment like this, when he's speaking to the audience, executives, influencers and the entire country, what is what does he say, what does he say about donald trump? >> trump has given us to so much material. we talk about him falling asleep. we talk about all of the things sold, like the guy in the 90s to open the trunk and had everything. >> sneakers. everything. >> $60 bibles.

it's very different. he is in his own punchline. he's giving him a lot of material and he will definitely go after them. it will be different with what we saw with obama because obama was a natural born at this and i don't think that joe biden is. he will not going for the jugular because that's not his character but he will definitely take some bar. and it will be hilarious. >> i was going to say, donald trump never went to the white house correspondents dinner once. he did give us a lot of comedy. >> covid briefings. tragic comedy, but he gave us comedy. >> i hope biden mentions, only one is - - that's a an important, to. he doesn't want to bring up the criminality and details but we can do little jobs. we know that he will not bring up the criminality. but we can do a little jab. >> to roll in a lot of the weird circus around trump. you've got dog killing governors.

marjory taylor green. you've got an entire portfolio of really colorful, insane joke were the people that are big in the maga movement. >> let's take a listen to kelly o'donnell, nbc news correspondents. >> good evening. we are really here. thank you to the marine corps band led by an duane king. good evening and welcome to a great washington tradition. what began as a simple dinner for about 50 reporters back in 1921 has grown and grown to this. i need a little help from the president's own. >> thank you.

more than 100 years of heritage. we only get dressed up like this once a year and now you are a part of the story. welcome to the 2024 white house correspondents [applause] mr. president, vice-president harris, dr. biden, and mr. emhoff, take you for the gift of your time. this is a complex moment for our nation. and a campaign year with far away conflicts lead for many worried and wondering about the future. understandably so. we know that it is our backdrop tonight. we also know that there is value in freezing exceptional work and promising student journalist. this event is the primary fundraiser for our association and a scholarship we will highlight. if you believe in our purpose, we welcome your donations and appreciate your generosity. master sergeant, i

think we might need a little boost for that, don't you sir? >> that's the call to donate. and let there be laughter. i hope for a lot of sidesplitting light that internet on fire laughter. remember, the ballroom is filled with newspapers, politicians, of both parties, cabinets, secretaries, senior officials, entertainers and journalists. and more. so the laughter you will hear tonight comes from all those different corners. so get ready to roast, the humor is intended to sing in were across the political spectrum and aimed at the national media, too. but before we get really going, let me offer some thanks. to my employers, mike kavanaugh, and nbc news for three decades of adventure.

and for your support, building to this special night, and importantly for giving me the time needed to do this job, to serve as president of the w hca, which can be a full-time job. to my nbc white house unit, thank you for your endless patience and encouragement and juggling of duties, i am lucky to be in this with you. rebecca, lauren, for throwing your cells into the project and thank you, and mike manley. we are doing a live tv program here. and we have top-notch industry pros from los angeles were here working pro bono. bob and his production team, then flashman, paul flattery, a bit more, jeremy, candace clark , adam mischler, it's been fabulous working with you. and to my family, it begins and ends with you. david, everything and more.

gabby, so proud of you. i am lucky my brother, kevin and sister-in-law lori, are here tonight to get to see this in person. and we certainly feel our parents here as well. to our w hca members, thank you, my goal is to reflect you and your contributions. during the dinner, you will see hundreds of images from our members at work on this feed, there are some wild moments and some oh, wow moments, not so grand, not so glamorous. hope to take you behind the scenes. but for now, enjoy a great meal and a buffet of selfies, schmoozing, please thank your service, much more to come at the 2024 white house correspondents [applause] >> all right, so with that, kelly o'donnell kicks off the white house correspondents dinner , we're waiting for canadian, colin jost, to begin

his remarks and we will hear from the president as well and few others, important awards handed out tonight. there's something interesting happening outside and that's something we want to talk about, how much the protest you are seeing live images, of those protest outside of the washington hilton hotel where the event is taking place. anti-war pro-palestinian solidarity, we're seeing across the country for, and i just recently in the university campuses, those have become the focus in recent days. but for the better part of six and seven months, we have seen protests all across the united states all around the world, how important, how big of a shadow do these protests cast in this event tonight? >> they amplify, a celebration of free speech. on a personal note, i wish my late father was alive to see people in the streets pro- jewish, muslim christians of all faith, something i've seen in

my lifetime but i got to see this. there are people who try to define the movement by the most extreme examples, the way they demonize black lives matter but people see, it's a movement for humanity. for peace. and people should not be upset. some anti-anything, it's pro- humanity, if in colleges, the end of the day, it's about humanity, so it makes me proud and make me wish my father is here to see it. >> rick, the president has faced protest before and hecklers, one of the things he had been given credit is the grace that he has handled it. there's been criticism about the policy and administration, and the moments where there have been hecklers and protesters inside the room, inside events, he has often times told people melissa listen, let's see here what they have to say. >> you're absolutely right. he has diffuse things in that joe biden way.

he connects with people. when he gets heckled, he responds, okay, wait a second, let them talk. first one was laughing at square. 2020. when donald trump wanted to shoot black lives matter protesters in the leg of course as he was saying. and who wanted the national guard to roll in armed and to take them out. it really is a contrast between people who can tolerate dissent and debate and disagreement and people who cannot. look, this is a fraud complex formal question, there's a terrible human toll taken place right now. and biden is trying to navigate all these different competing interests you. and i don't think you would see that in a country that did not have a free press and not have the ability for people to practice in streets and campuses, you can agree and disagree but the fundamental right is deeply wired into us and excess americans and it's really important.

>> this is the important point that i think crystallize in this election that a lot of people have said, you may disagree with biden's policies, how it's all playing out, but at the end of the day, could you imagine protesters, organizing under a fascistic authoritarian presidency of donald trump? this scene will not be happening, you would not be in the white house correspondents dinner, but then again, he seeking immunity and absolute immunity and what that might for future protests in this country. >> absolutely. we have seen how he acted with protest. we saw who he - - during the protests, turned dc but the rest of the state and militaristic occupations. an amplified governors like the governor of florida to actually say, it is okay to run people over with your vehicle who are actively protesting. that is donald j trump. to a point, we have not seen protests like this amplified 10 years ago. 12 years ago.

not even five years ago. something has changed in this country. where you have more and more people who are understanding the palestinian people. this is play. for joe biden, someone who has this long-standing history in foreign policy, was engage with former prime minister of israel, who understands this area very well. he is also being strategic and how he's handling this but also understands the importance of uplifting our first amendment rights. he's not trying to shut these protests down. he knows that these are not violent, these are not violent protests. he's not allowing the right to take that message and run with it. that says a lot about him and the preservation of our democracy. >> please stick around and we will squeeze in a quick break, after the break, what we could hear from the present, gearing up for some jokes and his own expense and who could be in his crosshairs. our special coverage of the white house correspondents dinner. not everybody likes mpr. elon musk tweeted that it

should be defunded elon wants to buy it. nts to buy it.

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don't wait- call today. mentioned that in the last hour, even some of the most about hardliners which would help the president basically are going to land more jabs probably at her tonight, she's always low hanging fruit >> in the she shows up in a hoodie, i don't know what's going to stop them from going at her. the woman is comedy gold. she is, she has taken, i want to believe sometimes she's really into the bit. then i realize she's actually believes a lot of - - she actually has become the person that this character she seemed to be playing at first. a lot of this, matt gaetz, he knows what he's doing, it's all a print, it's character. >> i think she really believes it. luckily for us we have jason here who has gotten the pulse of a lot of the people out there who have these strong views about marjory taylor green, and the qanon window for

a party. >> is the qanon wing exactly. there's a video of her holding a cell phone, talking heartfelt, q is a patriot. it exists. she's been elected again after this. i have met a lot of the people and i haven't heard her say at that jfk jr. is a live in the current as president, that's next level. >> jewish space lasers and find out that junk donald trump is still the president. i don't know. >> what do you think about that part of the republican party, the marjorie taylor greene, the matt gaetz, the extreme right wing of the republican party and where has taken the republican party again suspect now? >> it used to be honestly, when rick was there, we would debate on issues at about the democracy, now that's gone and the fringe is the one that is pro-democracy but the main part , loves trump, loves january 6 terrorist are hostages, is

remarkable. trump demonizes the protesters, demonize the black lives matter. that is the kind of compensation they want to do for people, who are the people in prison. it will play out in real-time right here. >> it's interesting aspect what we're going to see tonight which is the media coverage. this is always a moment where the president and others can basically hold up a mirror to the media and say, a, this is how your covering the strongly in a funny satirical and seriousness to it about how they cover his opponent. and they give him a pass on many things maybe not crystallizing the the threat that we poses to the country. the constant theme that the media harp on on joe biden's age and ignoring basically his competence in many of these settings. you think he will address that tonight?

there's fear criticism against the media on how they have been covering this way so far. >> actually, he has to address it. we heard about polls and polls and polls and 24/7. even though the midterms happen in special elections happen. democrats up and down the ballot and the policies that joe biden has pushed have actually one. it doesn't matter, media tends to continue to talk about polls and his age as though donald trump is and also old. what is there, 3 1/2 year difference? seniors act like seniors. at this point, there has to be an understanding, this is a two- man race. the media has done very at the service when it comes to joe biden not amplifying a lot of the amazing things he has done and not amplifying the successes of the economy and not amplifying the infrastructure plan and the way he has responded to the crisis,

particularly, bringing states together and mobilizing around the attacks on abortion rights. he has done a lot. and various networks have almost solely focused on either diminishing hand in many ways, but also i think, nonstop coverage of donald trump. the idiotic, makes that man who is. much of the best of all the things that biden has done. he has done a good job of talking about white house.gov on his own social media within these various meetings he has had a was various states. the media doesn't seem to track it so it makes people think that is not happening. >> you expect to address that tonight? >> self-deprecating humor is superpowerful. if you can take yourself out of the bogus frame that they are trying to put him in, his daughter, he's a simpleton, and he shows that he is witty and funny and 81 years old, that's fine.

i think that one of the contrast that we should hit tonight, i think he will, that donald trump cannot stay awake in the call room. donald trump needs and naptime in a blinking everyday during court. he has a juice box in a net. if you're making a campaign that biden is 20, as it there's 1 million ways that donald trump is not exactly a cognitive superstar. >> while president biden continues to take, donald trump was stuck in a manhattan courthouse for a second time with his hush money trial that was getting underway. his former fixer, michael cohen, this is only the beginning, every day spent in court is the day that trump can't be out talking to supporters were raising money. so two weeks point, the sky is falling asleep in his own trial. he is violating gag orders. he is confusing the name of his

former opponents, all of that sends a very strong message to whether or not the sky is even competent to run for president. >> i think what's going on with trump, the fact that people are mocking him, [ laughter ] >> did you make that up? >> i just coined it. thank you very much. he and getting a conviction, we can talk to his base, him being a punchline, him falling asleep at trial, that cuts through everything. you don't need to follow politics, follow the law, that i can't stay awake. he goes there three times at least five days, they are talking about him, it is his trial. it is his name. and taking a nap. that will affect him a great deal. i don't think being in the courtroom for his followers mean much. i think that he is not able to stay away, or something different, he did not fall asleep in 2020 and his events, something has changed.

people in the media, should be asking questions about, why is he falling asleep? is there something physical? is it a side effect to a medication? is it cognitive decline? whatever it might be. i'm not a doctor, but the media should cover it like with biden. >> he is also lying about the size of the crowds. we have been down at the courthouse a couple times, he says thousands of people are trying to get there but they can't figure out the barricades. we have walked in their twice and we were there last monday, we counted three trump supporters. in the trump supporters insisted that a guy that was on a lunch break eating a sandwich was also a trump supporter. so we got four. >> and then also andrew giuliani was there. if andrew giuliani can figure out how to get to the protest, anybody can figure it out. >> that's a guy that is easily overcome by inanimate objects. if we can figure it out.

>> let me ask you, rick, about the dynamic that is playing with in the trial a little bit this week, you had donald trump basically, saying, nice things about david packer the editor of the national enquirer. and he was getting deming's testimony about trump inside the courtroom, that doesn't square with a donald trump we have seen who goes after opponents relentlessly has gone after witnesses and judges, suddenly, i think the big tell is that he's being nice to david packer and for me, that's the biggest thing that david packer is the most credible witness there. >> i wrote a piece this week, donald trump packer problem. you're trying to get me in trouble tonight. >> the fact that trump, he seems like a very nice man. the fact that he's so cautious and affect the entire media infrastructure, all the other crazies, they are dead son,

they get it, they understand the skies doing something very deadly and he is validating in advance the testimony that michael cohen who has all the receipts is going to give next. and trump is terrified of this guy. he knows where all the bodies are buried. he was a guy with a safe in his office with all the details of the hush money stuff. this is a guy who really, for once, makes trump afraid. >> the other one that makes trump afraid are rfk jr., on how trump has gone after him and social media, he says that he is a conspiracy theorist. it's hard to - - >> the election was stolen. >> he's making fun of rfk's position on vaccine. i think that to me, it is a tell. he is afraid of what rfk jr. is going to do. >> he is, he's also afraid that is coming out in the pool that he's pulling voters away from

him. so yeah, - - >> you have a candidate who appeals to the anti-vaxxers, the crypto weirdos, the conspiracy guys, those are trump supporters. >> the point earlier, why they position that is something that is effectively going to move the boats, everything we stands for is what trump voters stand for. >> banning roger stone, saying good things, don jr., they are elevating him. he was going to hurt biden. and now, - - republicans don't want to vote for trump. these are an option. rfk. >> even more crazy than trump crazy. >> they want to vote for trump i think. >> if you're looking for a fine full-body crazy, - - is your guy. >> have you seen them without a shirt on. he is jacked. >> you have to give the guy a props for that. >> no one is going anywhere,

next up, a deeper look at the strained relationship with this dinner and that price he tends to pay by refusing to attend. >> by the looks of him, he has been roasting nonstop for the past 70 years. historically, the president usually perform at the dinner. i speak for all of us, he has done to far too much bombing this much. bombing this much. known for discovering new places. no one wants to be known for cancer, but a treatment can be. keytruda is known to treat cancer. fda-approved for 16 types of cancer, including certain early-stage and advanced cancers. one of those cancers is early-stage non—small cell lung cancer. keytruda may be used with certain chemotherapies before surgery when you have early-stage lung cancer, which can be removed by surgery, and then continued alone after surgery to help prevent your lung cancer from coming back. keytruda can cause your immune system

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no one is prouder to put this birth certificate matter to rest . that's because we can finally get back to focusing on the issues that matter. like, did we take the moon landing? what really happened in roswell? and where are biggie and tupac? >> that was then president obama mocking donald trump at the 2011 white house correspondents what could only be described as his super villain origin story and many believe made him want to run for president. we're still paying the price for that every day since. now the dnc is warning that if donald trump wins in november, tonight could be the last white house correspondents dinner due to trump's thin-skinned and his threats against a free press. the rnc responded by blasting the event as out of touch, adding republicans will

continue to talk about the issues that matter. let's bring back my panel, dean, is hyper if donald trump wins this could be the last white house correspondents once again, this guy wants to lock up journalists. he wants to basically sue msnbc or "the new york times". he wants to invoke the insurrection act to go against protesters. it's not hyperbolic is it? >> if donald trump wins, - - just in a, it's not just the end of comedy, it's the end of a lot of things. of course, he's not going to go. his sense of humor is a cruel sense of humor. that white house dinner, where obama destroyed trump, seth myers destroyed trump as well. i interviewed seth, he sought trump at some other event and trump was holding a grudge years later. for jokes told about him. so he is more than thin- skinned. donald trump sued hilmar for $5 million over the job years ago. he traffic and anti-semitic garbage online against john

stuart, if you are a comedian you make fun of them, he called , he posted on twitter, why isn't the fcc investigating these people for election defense, comedians mocking, you have to be and is, the megabase, if they say we're going to shut down shows, they cheered and love it. it's not just about trump, is the movement, the modern movement antidemocratic, they have very little sense of humor about making fun of their beloved grand wizard. >> i don't think anybody is the table have a good day. >> everyone have a backup plan is what i want to know. >> it's pretty rich that the republicans are saying they want to stay focused on the issues that matter and not address these things that this could be the last white house correspondents this is a party that is chasing conspiracy theories, basically hasn't gotten anything done. they are barely holding on to

this speakership a razor thin majority because the maga wing of the party wants to basically vacate the speakership again. it's a complete clown show. >> i mean, this is calling the chaos caucus for a reason. the in a trying to do the work of american people, they are trying to do the work of the donald trump. the down ballot races he is willing to blow those up into small. doesn't care about the republicans keeping the house. because they built the party after his image, they are going to suffer. people who happen to be of color, those who are muslim, there's a target on your back. those people who work within the media. the media structure in and of itself. not just about comedy. he doesn't want to media that actually analyzes what's going on. he wants a state run you. he wants to tell them what to say. punish them when he doesn't agree what they say. and create a dictatorship. he praises working in other

places. >> if it's not that, he doesn't want to operate >> you are out there alive speaking to trump supporters. this doesn't resonate with them. it doesn't trickle down to them. i am being very serious and genuine, do you engage in substantive conversations with them about these issues or is it mostly this kind of he is our savior and we are following him anywhere he goes? >> i mean, yes, the savior mentalities there. we did a bit, we sold trump bibles, it said trump bibles and people bought them from us at the rally, this was obviously a satire. people were buying them. i thought wrong. he did talk to people and a lot of people do care about issues. the issues for a lot of these people that donald trump tells them to care about.

we asked the new sources. >> culture war issues. >> yes, that's huge. now a lot of it, you asked them where they get the news, save back's news and a lot of people get their news from to social, from donald trump. he is the news source. you talk about the protest down there where there are five people there, they think there's 1000 people trying to get in there and can't get in there because that what donald trump tells them. >> the old media clichi, fox controls at all, there's still a huge player, but these people have self-selected further and further away. i'm going to go to newsmax because fox's to work. i go to oa and because fox's to work. now they are cousins and friends and facebook, patriotic ego for room, that rv whatever. >> he is actually pretty good. >> [ laughter ] >> whatever. >> he is a legit source. >> they had a good themselves in this sort of a cognitive hole where they don't trust

anything except unless trump validates it or provides it. and trump's relationship with the murdochs has become more strained over the years. and so that truth social, the power of that to be the normative force and what was the republican party is now the trump party is very strong. >> everyone, stay in place, i live coverage continues after a break. >> continues after a break. >>

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welcome back, everyone. we're still waiting for the white house correspondents dinner to get back underway. we wanted to get to our worst of the week which what we call the delusional trump defender edition. in one corner we have former house speaker, newt gingrich take a wild guess who we is referring to in this soundbite. >> this is literally like some of the civil rights workers in mississippi in the 1960s. the whole thing frankly, resembles on the waterfront's stanley kubrick film. about corruption. >> obviously, which was equating the case of the murdered civil rights activist with none other than donald trump who is currently on trial for his role in paying astar to keep quiet about alleged affair as he ran for president. let that sink in for a moment. then of course, there's jesse

watters went for a little more drama while describing the ex- president. >> eight they trapped him in a cage, we called the courtroom, but it's a cage, he's like king kong. what happens with king kong, your number, it's not going to be good. he will be out of this cage eventually they will not be able to keep him down. [ laughter ] >> they killed him. in the end. >> i don't even know where to begin with that. but we will do a round robin of who we do have is the worst, newt gingrich,, equating donald trump with civil rights victims or jesse watters calling king kong in and. >> absolutely newt gingrich, somebody who's grandparents are from - - when i think of put their life on the line to help register people to vote, that is not something that is a

joking matter. and to also think that donald trump has literally fought to append let voting rights across this country, that is just really frustrating. no big knew exactly what he was doing and the republicans who equate much of the terrorism and ask he has done to civil rights leaders and this is disgusting thing to see. >> last week, to remind you, jesse watters was a dumb, af. don't say - - [applause] >> he just says whatever is on the telly prompter, and someone fact check in, king kong died. godzilla. newt gingrich, apparently in between naps, they had him on fox news. stanley kubrick did not direct on the waterfront. stanley kubrick directed clockwork orange, was more like trump.

eyes wide shut, so many shining 2000. >> newt gingrich is much more sinister and devious what he's about, you have dumb dumb doing whatever comes to mind and for laughs. >> what do you think, jason? it is also like speaks to cultish mentality that grid the republican wing of everything in this country whether it's the media or voters. >> he's speaking up for an extreme minority of people. speaking up for himself. the only person i know is paid offstar allegedly to influence the presidential election. so i guess he's a leader in some way. if you want to call that doing something for the country. jesse watters, for the record, i want to say gingrich, worse, but i want to get myself the worst because i am not picking jesse watters and i don't like to not take jesse watters.

you want to - - you don't want to give them a pass. >> can i do both? >> we don't play by hard roles. >> jesse watters is like if there's a piece of software called more on gpt. but new to get the lifetime achievement award, he previously compared donald trump to nelson mandela but paying off a star lying about it, have the bookkeeper covered up and being caught lying about it, they sing 88 other criminal charges, is not the same as african americans fighting jim crow and the clan seeking the right to vote in this country after 175 years of racial discrimination. it's just not the same thing. i want to make a joke about it, but it's so broken, how broken the brains of a lot of people on the right have become. that they have abandoned the idea that we have to face the things that we are fundamentally flawed in our founding.

and this is, there's nothing racist in this country than being called out being a racist and what newt is telling you and all those people in the party that are done no enemies to my right philosophy, we're okay with the clan guys and as long as they are voting the right way, no. he's sending those people a signal to come back in for it's okay, stick with donald. it's just disgusting. >> one more for bonus for you guys, kristi noem out with a new book where she is a time she killed a young dog named cricket, saying he was useless as a hunting dog and she writes that she hated the dog. you and your colleagues at the lincoln project are out with a new ad about ms.. >> yeah, - - >> what is wrong with her question mark >> first of all, she's human trash, she spoke, she should leave public life immediately. i am from the south and i hunt. i have bird dogs. i have raised bird dogs and i use them for bird hunting. i've never killed a puppy that

wasn't working out. we have a dog that was never good for the hunting. she's spins in circles all the time, she's lovely but she was never going to get quail or a pleasant. i did not shoot her. she sits on the couch, she's a good dog. this woman was so lazy and so horrible as a human being that she shot a dog and then bragged about it and then not tell the children about it through it in a gravel pit. this is a broken human being. >> and in some weight might get her the vice presidential nomination for donald trump. but it might. >> that's the sad and scary part. >> please don't go anywhere, stick around, you are watching the special coverage of white house correspondents we are waiting for the president biden's speech. and the comedian goes after the present, he will not be joining us after this coverage, stay with us. ay with us.

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: welcome back to our special live coverage of the 2024 white house correspondents dinner. in just about 20 minutes, we expect the annual dc tradition to get back under way, after a dinner break. this is a live look inside the room at the washington hilton hotel, iconic landmark there in dc. some 2,700 journalists, lawmakers, white house officials, hollywood celebrities are all gathered to honor the free press, and tonight, we're going to hear from the president and this year's host, comedian of "saturday night live," flanked by the president and first lady jill biden and vice president kamala harris and second gentleman doug emhoff, this dinner is an annual tradition dating back to 1921 despite a brief hiatus during the covid pandemic, and tonight's dinner is coming at a contentious time for our country. hanging over the event is a

political cloud that we have never seen in this country, while the association uses tonight to honor the press and provide scholarships to up and coming journalists, this evening will focus on reinforcing freedom of speech and the vital role a free press plays in a true democracy. you can likely guess why that is. donald trump, of course, the presumptive gop nominee for president, who has said he would be a dictator for a day if re-elected. the same donald trump who is currently sitting on trial in new york, the first president to ever do so, the same donald trump who sent lawyers to the supreme court this week, to argue that he should have absolute immunity and face no prosecution for the january 6th insurrection. in fact, his legal team argues that the true threat to democracy is the justice department's efforts to seek accountability for the attack on our democracy. and then there's of course another constitutional right in the spotlight, and that is of course the freedom to assemble,

and the freedom to speak up about whatever you want this. evening, amid protests across the country over the u.s. and its support for israel's war in gaza, we see demonstrators gathering outside of the washington hilton hotel. back with us for tonight's special coverage. msnbc daily columnist and host of the sirius xm show. and former campaign adviser and also sirius xm host, rick wilson, co-founder of the lincoln project, and the one-half of the comedy duo, the good liars. great to have you all with us. and the framing of tonight, the back jun of what is taking place in this country, not lot lost on anyone in that room. it is an important show of the commitment to free speech, but one that is certainly at peril. >> it is. and also, they're going to talk tonight about journalists, like "the wall street journal" reporter who is in prison in russia. i hope they bring up the number of journalists killed in gaza, including some that you know. i know that you posted online about that. the fact that being a journalist

in gaza could mean your life is taken away, and just doing your job, camera people, reporters, on the ground, covering it, and were killed. war time correspondents, killed a lot of times with u.s. weaponry, to be blunt. and so i hope that they are acknowledged for their sacrifice, and just trying to get the story out to the world. you can agree or disagree on what the facts are, or what is happening from a political point of view, but from a factual point of view, they just want to know the fact, and they were killed for that. so i hope tonight they're honored and recognized as well. >> one of the dangerous things that is happening right now in this country is the protests that are taking place, they are just being described as pro-hamas sympathizers, terrorists, we've seen people like tom cotton talk about what should happen to these protesters, mike johnson, mega mike, speaker of the house, saying he wants the national guard called in on these protesters, exercising their first amendment rights, and it is a dangerous moment for the country. that's not to say that the "new york times" pointed out today that the protests are perfect,

they are not perfect, they there are problems with them, but undoubtedly they are engaging in something that is probably one of the most important, if not the most important right that we have as americans, and you have republicans out there threatening them, by calling them terrorists, and basically paving the way for violence to be used against them. we're seeing that play out in universities, other university, the university of texas. >> absolutely. one of the cornerstones of our democracy not only the right to free speech but the right to assemble and we've seen the overall majority of these cases, these are peaceful assemblies, and anyone painting these individuals as terrorists, as people who don't believe in democracy, and we've heard that fra individuals who know, we have blue checks by their name but do have standing. i think it is very frustrating to see individuals who are literally fighting for the protection of innocent individuals who are dying in droves, being positioned as people who are supporting hamas. and equating innocent palestinians as terrorists.

because that's what we're seeing happen as well. that's a really frustrating place to be, because these students, many of them, folks are calling them to lose their scholarships and not have financial aid and locking them out of their dorms, some of these students are functionally becoming homeless, we're seeing advisers, those who are standing in lock-step, instructors arrested as well. in addition to local journalists in multiple cities across the country covering the protests, we've seen them being thrown down by police officers, this has gotten to a place that we can say that we are upholding free speech rights, and republicans still hold for a very long time, if they're also pushing this at the same time. >> she brings up an important point. so arrests we're seeing, emory university philosophy professor, another professor was literally thrown on the floor, a student was tased while he was already on the ground, with his hands tied or basically handcuffed behind him. and it speaks to the issue we've been discussing in black lives

matter protests, police reform issues, the over-militarization of police when it rubs up against first amendment rights, free speech. >> no matter where you come down on the issues of gaza, israel, and palestinian causes right now, no matter where you come down on this, american democracy, representative democracy, we treasured for 240-plus years, is based on public comment, debate. the presence, in the street, in the newspapers, in public forums of any kind, and if we start to say we're going to use the fully militarized power of these state police forces that are very tooled up now, to break these things up, look, the minute they cross that line of violence -- >> it's a different ball game. >> but right now, there are -- those things are very far outliers in these protests, and again, you don't have to agree with them, you just have to understand that this is america

and free speech rights still exist and political speech like this is the most highly protected speech that there is. and look, i'm going to be sued by mike flynn for $10 million, he doesn't like what i said about him on twitter, okay, and that sort of thing, it strikes me that the right is trying to weaponize, both on the law front and the law enforcement front, to weaponize everything about speech that they disagree with now and for all of their posturing on free speech, it is not really a commitment that they made to free speech, it is a commitment they made to their speech. >> and you bring up such an important point. i want to get your thoughts on that, jason, as kpleedian and i'm saying you are a comedian, and somebody who also engages in satire as well, reflect on that for us a moment. you know, you have people on the right who claim to be free speech absolutists, but you see how thin-skinned they are when they get pressed about adjourn lift, whether it is ron desantis, elon musk, or donald

trump, but just kind of weigh in on that for us, where you find our discussion, and our tolerance for satire and the kind of comedy you provide. >> a lot of people you talk to, and especially going to things like the march for life and certainly trump rallies, you talk to people who are free speech, first amendment, we have to protect that with our lives, and then they also would say i'm a christian nationalist, i think it should be a christian nation, and in the same breath, like separation of church and state, that is a pretty important part of the founding of our country, so it feels like, it's like the elon musk thing, where as long as it is not directed at me, and it is not -- then it's fine. >> you don't want to stoke anyone. you want to kind of have, like, the comedy directed at your enemies and opponents, and you want them to go after them but don't turn it against me. >> look what is going on now, when you go after the litany of events, it is happening under a

democratic president, i'm not blaming president biden, imagine if trump was in the white house right now, what he would embolden, in terms of republican governors doing even worse, and what republicans do even worse, and i would like to see president biden speak out more in defense of free speech, whether it is peaceful protests, which the students are. . so language of some of the students, or some of the protesters, the extreme ones -- >> on the periphery of the campuses. >> anti-semitism, that should be denounced and i don't want that supporting our cause. and these protests are peaceful. and president biden, i would hope would stand up and say these people have a right to protest. greg abbott signed a law in 2019 on campuses, the peaceful protests, if we want free speech, pro-palestinian shut them down, the same thing, black lives matter, donald trump called black lives mat area symbol of hate, and the idea using the military to shut it down. and get back to january 6th and when you're white and fighting

for trump, and it is fine and when you're of color, demonized and stripped of your fundamental rights and put in jail. >> and i was talking to the yale university professor, and the way this language is used to basically invoke this kind of reaction among officials, politicians, to pave the way for this kind of violence that we're talking about, and that's a dangerous thing, because you don't have adults in the republican party to rein people in, and i remember the john mccain moment -- >> he's a good american. he's a family man. and -- >> it is a problematic statement as well, because there are a ton of muslims in america that are also -- >> right. >> i do agree. >> but i think we should get -- i was thinking of this, i would give john mccain the benefit of the doubt because it was an off the cuff kment that he made, and you're using that word as an insult and it is not an insult, he is saying barack obama is a

good man, he is an american, but the point i was trying to make, there are no republicans who would stand up and say these are people protesting for something they agree on, we may not agree with it but they should be protected, they have the right to do it. >> and the overwhelm mag jort of the republican party are not the same now. it's like they're in a different position. and i think that puts our position in a different position. >> look, the most convenient thing in the maga world at any moment is to find the demon, find the enemy, and they have a catalog of imaginary demons every day. this week, it's kids protesting on campuses. and they're all al qaeda or whatever. and every immigrant coming over the border is either from a muslim sleeper cell or is a latin america child smuggler or whatever. they always have to go to the farthest edge of the explanation. >> right. >> and that constant quest for that, they're always chasing the dragon. they're always trying to feed

this media machine that, it is like a conveyor belt, and they can never stop, and they can never dial it back, they can never -- the ratchet only turns one way, so they can't describe anyone as something less than evil. >> let me ask you broadly about the concern from a political standpoint. is this a cause of concern for democrats, as they're trying to, to dean's point, this is happening under a democratic president, should they be -- should the white house, should his campaign be concerned about this movement? because the coalition of the people that it represents, and the young voters that he certainly needs to win re-election. >> i think i would direct them more to be concerned how the maga media machine is going to portray this. these kids are going to do go to the democratic convention. what does the team want? they want the 1968 convention all over again. they want the video of the violence, the riots, all the craziness, they want the scene

of the one protester attacking a cop. that is okay on january 6th, but they want that stuff to feed this machine that convinces millions of americans that they're one vote away from, you know, being forced to have gay sharia marriage or whatever imagine dear demons there are. >> the black lives matter protest they despise happened under trump. the violence, they were amplified and the most extreme examples, happened under trump and for them to say, the play book on the right, and again, this time, someone on the left, find the most extreme person in the pro-palestinian movement and say that is the position, and that's why you have to be against it, and if you're not, you're pro-hamas. i think most people don't take that part seriously, but you mentioned earlier, whatever trump says is what they believe. if trump said tomorrow, we love

palestinians, somebody calls up, we should have -- >> and then that's the american position. but they flip every time he changes his position. they flip. and it is like magic. >> i think the problem, you know, i mean the younger voters, we saw in michigan -- >> the vote in wisconsin, michigan, it is something to politically be mindful of. there is time obviously between now and the election where this issue can be, not just the war brought to an end, but a pathway to addressing the grievances of these students, and this coalition of people that are taking to the streets, because they want to see a fundamental change in broader u.s. policy towards the middle east, and he can still offer that vision, and perhaps one of the reasons he can argue for four more years is say i can do that, if you give me four more years. if you don't give me four more years, trump, who has been saying shoot the protesters in

the neef, is going to come into the white house. >> and the irony, or the interesting point here is the vast majority of israelis want a different way, too. >> yes. >> netanyahu is the mastermind of one of the most astounding power plays in history. and the vast majority of israeli citizens are saying we got got to sop this. this is not working. >> let's squeeze in a quick break and reset. my panel is sticking around. when we come back, we will listen to some more of the historic speeches that have been delivered at the white house correspondents' dinner over the years. stay with us. i'm 32 years old, which is an odd age, 10 years too young -- , 10 years too young --

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kelly o'donnell is set to take the mic soon, in the melting pot of hollywood figures and comedians, and we know there are folks making their way into the ballroom. who have you spoken to? what have they been telling you? >> in order to get into the ballroom, you have to make it past that massive, massive crowd of protesters outside. and i spoke with some of the celebrities that made an appearance tonight and asked them about the protests, and the movement, and what they made of it all, and actor sophia bush said that it really underscored to her the purpose of the evening, of celebrating the first amendment, the right to free speech, the right to assemble, so here is what she thought about it. >> i think we are incredibly fortunate to live in a functioning democracy where we have the right to protest, we see states around the country,

and citizens and residents, some of the things are unacceptable but i think if anything, it is important to be here tonight to stand in the defense of the free press, particularly when you see the number of journalists who have been killed in gaza, it is devastating. >> reporter: so while tonight is a celebration of press freedom, the first amendment, it is not lost on anyone that there are more than 100-some journalists that have been killed in gaza. we have journalists detained overseas, wrongfully, like evan, and so this evening, it brings all of these figures together, now on the red carpet, we saw colin jost and his wife, scarlet johansson, we will hear from jost tonight, the white house correspondent association president our own kelly o'donnell says she chose jost for his smart brand of comedy and a white house official says as for biden's speech, he is expected to poke some fun at

himself. i asked. so celebrities here on the red carpet what they hope to hear tonight, and they're here all in good fun, and billy porter, the famous actor, said that he wants biden to celebrate his wins that he's had, but as you, i'm sure, are well aware, no one, and nothing is offlimits as a topic for the comedy here tonight, so we will be keeping a close eye on the "snl" weekend update anchor, and see how his jokes fair in a crowd of real journalists here at the dinner tonight. and so once everything wraps, they will be facing the sea of protesters outside again, but it is quite a juxtaposition of this freedom of assembly happening outside, emphasizing the fact that there are all of these journalists inside, celebrating press freedom, as it is a difficult time for journalists in the country, and throughout the world. >> yes, that is a very important point, and it is actually one i want to pick up on.

julia, thank you for your time. let me pick up on that point julia ranged which is really important, about journalists around the world. last night at the overseas press club here in new york, i had a chance to light the candle in honor of the journalist who have been killed around the world. more than 100 journalists this year, you know, the vast majority of them in gaza since the war began there. you have journalists in israel who were killed. journalists in lebanon killed. guatemala, mexico, elsewhere. journalism around the world is coming under tremendous attack. freedom of speech is coming under tremendous attack. we saw the iranian government just announce that they are going to execute an iranian rapper just simply for singing against the regime. not a journalist but it just gives you a glimpse of the way freedoms are being rolled back in countries all around the world, and those that are trying to report are being killed in silence. >> you know, president biden, since the earliest days of his presidency, has talked about the

democracy versus autocracy, and an ongoing struggle in this world, and a struggle we have to be aware of, and you're seeing it take hold, there is more clamping down on journalists, in places where you hope it wouldn't be happening and then you see the actual killing of journalists in gaza, without any regard whatsoever that they're wearing press outfits and they're killed because there are acceptable losses. so tonight, i hope they are honored. look at the difference though tonight, president biden will be there and he will tell jokes at the expense of the media and he will make fun of you by name. >> i don't think he knows me. >> don't give me too much credit. >> and look at the difference, donald trump called the immediate at enemy of the people and he inspired the mega bomber to send bombs to the media, he taunts at people -- >> journalists roughed up at his rally. >> so the contrast is very clear. so what is happening outside of our borders in gaza and around the world is alarming for all of us, because with trump, that can happen here in the united states

of america. this fight of democracy and autocracy, it is happening, and people can't happen here, it is happening, and it is coming towards us. >> i want to ask you something about the smart brand of comedy. i could ask dean about that. the comedy tonight matters, right? because again, it is not only just a testament to the ability to have free speech, but also satire plays a very important role in the way we understand our politics, and we think back to some of the great comedians who have taken aim at some of the most difficult subjects in our country's history, and find a way to make fun of them, to address them, to make them understandable to people who otherwise couldn't wrap their heads around them. >> and i will talk about a story from ourselves, you were talking about great comedians, this is a sub par comedian story, thinking about what you were saying earlier about the journalism under attack, on january 6th, we

are there on january 6th, and outside the capitol, and people saw that i had a microphone in my pocket, and they said look, it's the fake media, and they surrounded us there. and luckily, a flash-bang went off and everybody turned around and we were able to get around there, but it does feel like -- i mean we saw what happened on january 6th, news crews were pushed over, daily show's crews were shoved over, there are attacks on the media and the rhetoric from donald trump, they're not going to show the crowd, that's the fake line media right there, so journalism is under attack. but with comedy, i, you know, i think comedy has a special place in telling truth, and truth to power, and in a way that actually affects them, which is why you see donald trump not showing up to the correspondents' dinner, because he has that thin skin, he know when something is true and when people are laughing at him, it is the one thing that he can't

control, and it hurts him. so, comedy really does have power, and it is powerful enough to scare a sitting president away from the white house correspondents' dinner. >> he is a -- donald trump is a man who loves dictators and authoritarian figures and he has letters with kim jong-un and loves president erdogan of turkey and there is a common thread in all of these countries where none of them have a vibrant oppositional press, let alone a free press. >> he is dictator curious on all of these things. and the fact that this guy wants to do things that are, from the mechanical side of it, eliminate libel protections for the press, and to encouraging people to attack the press, to trying to dilute the power that he

constitutional enshrines about the freedom of the press, those things are all corrosive. those things are -- he emulates people from countries where the respect for the press, the respect for individual liberty, the respect for human rights, all of those things, they're in a bundle together, and due end up in countries where there's broad respect for human rights, and attacks on the free press. due -- you don't end up with those. they all work together or they don't work at all. >> what do you think in terms -- so let me take you to an update. obviously the president is there with kelly o'donnell. there is a video presentation getting under way, we expect that to happen as well as some awards that are handed out and important awards handed out to the future generation of journalists and that's what i was going to ask you about, which is the state of the press right now in this country, and the state of journalism more broadly speaking, around this country, how do you think we as

journalist, the media at large, are doing in covering and juxtaposing the threat that donald trump poses, what he represents, the risk versus what joe biden is doing, and what he represents for our country. are we making that distinction enough for american voters? or not? >> i think it could definitely be done more. i have seen press call out the racist nodes that donald trump has, from the white replacement theory to pushing for anti-crt, anti-dei, getting rid of that at various levels and the attacks on the trans community. we have seen that dug into, but it is not necessarily permeating across america in ways that i think it should. we have such a segmented media landscape where you are seeing the legacy print media disappear. people are fighting to maintain those roles, and younger people are going more towards digital media, whether getting their news from youtube or tiktok or

whomever else, and i think it has become a lot more difficult to not only educate and inform, but also to get people to understand why investigatory press is so important, why we need to focus in on these issues, why people are in the streets to begin with, that has become a much harder thing to do, and i think in some cases we amplify the wrong voices. >> let's take a quick pause and listen in to our colleague, kelly o'donnell, as she begins her remarks. >> we got your attention. that was a lot of fun and you see how lucky i am to have so many friends with big personalities who are willing to be a little silly to help kick things off tonight. thank you to all of them who said yes when i called, across all the networks, thank you, friends, for turning up for that. mr. president, vice president harris, dr. biden and mr. emhoff, we welcome you, as we celebrate freedoms that are both enduring and repeatedly tested. your presence here speaks

clearly, and loudly, about the essential connection between a free press, freedom of speech, and the democracy we value. [ applause ] >> tonight, we will honor excellence. we will look to the future with support for our student scholars. but we know that eyes are wide open here, we come together here for this grand evening, in tumultuous times, with crises and conflicts all around us. there is no mistaking that. we also know that life has many dimensions, including time to celebrate, and time to laugh. so many of you have reached out to me to say how excited you are to see colin jost as our entertainer. [ applause ] >> let me be honest you with. when your dream choice to headline this event, and this crowd, said yes, that is a good day. that is a good day. thank you, colin, for being here.

and i know colin cares about history and thinks about history, like so many of us in the white house correspondents' association, and i don't mean dusty books in a library. i learned a lot about washington from hearing laughter on saturday nights, when i was growing up in ohio. and that showed me humor can take on serious subjects and leave us feeling a little lighter. so i asked colin, and our friends at "saturday night live," to open up the time capsule. nearly a years of political humor, to take us on a fun and funny ride. >> ladies and gentlemen, the president of the united states. no. >> no problem. >> here, here, here, and here, and here and here. not -- >> i will do this. i will do this. i will do them both together. >> the one thing about being a

leader, a leader has to make some very tough decisions. that's why i'm going with the chimichangas. >> we are almost out of time. i will ask each candidate to sum up in a single word the best argument for his candidacy. governor bush? >> strategery. >> vice president gore? >> lock box. >> obama. >> oh, my god, what happened? >> you made barack obama angry. >> and when you make barack obama angry, he turns into the rock obama. >> hold on. >> hey, everybody. it's me, your vp joe biden and i'm inviting you all to join me this monday, the biden bash, do you think you can jump higher than me? now you can find out in a game i call "do you think you can jump higher than me," every sunday,

join me for my kung fu exhibition. biden time. >> "the wall street journal," are you in place? >> you know something, mr. cohen, i've never even heard of you. >> your mother has. >> hey. >> you believe all of this mess happened in iowa, because it's an act. hey, i have an idea for an app, it is called no app. >> senator mitch mcconnell, seen here being called a black woman made a country album, has come out in favor of a bill that was potentially banning tiktok in the u.s., of course, for mcconnell, tiktok is just the grim reaper with happy thoughts. >> doing some incredible things. some would call them miracles. in terms of fish, and in regard to bread.

>> my speech, there are others like it, but this is mine. i wrote it myself last night, while screaming into an empty bag of doritos. >> i'm going to get in so close. see, is this legally close? not here. >> can we get back to the capitol -- >> hello, doordash, it's chuck schumer. >> congressman santos here in a promo for a reality show was indicted on federal charges including conspiracy, wire fraud and identity theft and also indicted for reckless homicide when that button shot off his jacket and killed a bystander. >> the entire country has been bullying me because i am a proud gay thief, what else is new, america hates to see -- >> i'm not just a senator. i'm a wife.

a mother. and the craziest bitch in the target parking lot. >> house speaker mike johnson says he was blurring the faces on the footage of january 6th rioters so none of them will be charged with a crime, so unfortunately, we will never know who they are. >> it is a terrible time for our country. i am standing -- where? >> let's do this. whoo! >> and remember, we may be from different eras, but at the end of the day, we're both joe freaking biden, and live from new york, it's saturday night! >> we are live. and our line is washington. thank you, lorne michaels, colin and the "snl" team. now let's get to business. a years of "snl." we can applaud for a moment.

that was my whole life flashing before my eyes of watching all of that. we begin with our business of the awards tonight. and we honor excellence. not only to recognize the superb reporting, writing, and photography, but to inspire more great work from so many of you, when true facts, real accountability, and well-reported insights are so vital. i turn to a newsman i first met when i was a college intern, and he was a local news anchor in chicago. that means i've admired him for a long time. please welcome the anchor and managing editor of "nbc nightly news" lester holt. [ applause ] >> thank you, i'm so proud to be your colleague. what an amazing night this is. thank you for everything you and your team have done.

each year, a panel of independent judges reviews dozens of entries for the five major whca journalism awards, it's my honor to announce this year's winners. the alto beckman award for overall excellence in white house coverage, named for a former association president, and late chicago tribune correspondent, aldo beckman, goes to barack rabid of axios. the judges said his reporting displayed deep, almost intimate levels of sourcing in the united states and abroad that produced stories closely aligned to events that subsequently trans fired. his stories put the read neither room as decisions were made, and the tumultuous aftermath of the october 7th hamas-led raids on israel. ladies and gentlemen, the whca is pleased to give the award to barack rabin. [ applause ]

>> thank you. thank you. [ applause ] >> the whca gives out two awards for reporting under deadline pressure, one for print, another for broadcast, each includes a prize of $2,500. this year's print winner is peter baker of "the new york times." [ applause ] >> the judges say baker's coverage of president joe biden's visit to israel just days after the october 7th attacks filed on deadline from

tel aviv, combined a comprehensive accounting of the whirlwind trip with expert reporter driven analysis of the president's messaging and priorities during a fraught moment. he carefully selected observations of public events, paired with well-sourced reporting of behind-the-scenes detail, smartly summarized the emotional cross-currents, diplomatic chaos, and other challenges surrounding the journey. his story not only helped advance understanding of the latest developments in a fast-moving situation in realtime, it included a sensitive assessment of the underlying dynamics and historic context that allowed it to stand as a definitive written recount of the day, despite being filed on deadline. please welcome, the winner of the deadline award for print, peter baker. [ applause ]

>> all right, now the broadcast award for excellence under deadline pressure. this year's winner is cameron keith, npr. [ applause ] blache blach . >> it goes to her work for the president's trip to israel. the judges said her gripping audio report expertly took listeners behind the scenes on the 31-hour trip to tel aviv, preparing her audience for the president's statement to america later that night. sound rich and textured and written on air force one, while en route, back to the united

states, the story lays out president biden's thinking and brings listeners in on the trip, along with her and on to air force one, to hear the president himself announce breaking news. and keith's quick work as part of the white house press pool, to share her audio, also speaks volumes of her professionalism, and of her dedication not only to her employer, npr, but also to her colleagues at the white house correspondents association, and to washington journalism. the whca is pleased to honor the deadline reporter of npr's tamara keith. [ applause ]

>> now the award for excellence in presidential news coverage by visual journalists. this award recognizes a video or a photojournalist for uniquely covering the presidency from a journalistic standpoint, either at the white house or in the field. this could be breaking news, a scheduled event, or feature coverage. it includes a prize of $2,500. this award goes to doug mills of "the new york times" for this photo of president biden boarding air force one in warsaw back to washington, d.c. after the meetings and speeches about the war in ukraine. the judges praise praised the photo for showcasing three key elements, action, composition, and feeling. and they also viewed the picture differently agreeing whether the

picture is foreboding or optimistic, the interpretation is left to the viewer. of the impressive batch of visual entries, they say this photograph best captured the news-making year. please join me in congratulating "new york times" photographer doug mills. [ applause ] >> the collier prize for state government accountability is presented by the university of florida, college of journalism and communications. this is the fifth year we have presented this prize at the dinner, and it comes with a check for $25,000. this year's award goes to a

collaboration between the texas tribune, pro publica and front line, reporting on the mishandling of the active shooter situation in uvalde texas, on may 24, 2022. [ applause ] >> titled "unprepared," it is comprised of a series of newspaper articles and front line documentary, the me particularly researched report shows why the classrooms were barricaded for 77 minutes while the gunman along with police and military officers scrambled to find radios, and flash bangs and shields and a key to unlock the classroom. investigators later surmised the classroom might have even been open during the entire siege. for more than a year, the investigative reporter with the texas tribune, and pro publica,

led a team of reporters who examined video footage of from two dozen body cams, and hundreds of hours of interviews with 150 law enforcement officers, to untangle the actions, and inactions that led to the deaths of 21 people, including 19 children. the colleagues, jessica hernandez, jessica priest, and zac despart contributed to the series. it was written and directed as a front line documentary. one of the judges said it was a standout investigation, into the missteps of law enforcement during one of the most horrific school shootings in recent u.s. history. the accompanying front line documentary was especially strong, using officer body cam footage and recording debriefings with officers to take viewers inside the investigation of what went wrong and why those entrusted to

protect children and teachers failed to act until it was too late to save some of the victims. here to accept the award are lexy churchill and zac despart. [ applause ] [ applause ]

>> now the katherine graham award for courage and accountability. it is of course named in honor of the legendary "washington post" publisher. and this year, it goes to the newspaper she helmed. the judges said the "washington post" shows courage, sensitivity, and originality, in breaking with journalism industry norms to inform and show readers how the ar-15 weapon inflicts horrific damage to the human body. the post was transparent about the reporting methodology and courageous and publishing graphic images of victims of mass shootings including children and the after-effects of survivors and families. it handled this sensitive subject well, with prominent warnings to readers, that the images may be disturbing, and conversations with the families of the victims ahead of publication about the paper's methodology and intentions. the post's executive editor

sally busby published a lengthy explanation outlining the newspaper's choices and acted with sensitivity toward the victims and the survivors, and elevated our nation's important national conversation about gun safety, gun ownership rights, and the tragic blast effects of the ar-15. the post's decision to publish the story exemplifies the journalism, courage, and skill that katherine graham exhibited regularly under her leadership. please welcome the winners of the katherine graham award from the "washington post," nick kirkpatrick, sylvia foster frow, todd frankel, and peter wallston. [ applause ]

. >> let's hear it one more time for all of this year's winners. [ applause ] >> ladies and gentlemen -- >> and now from "meet the press," we take you inside the white house correspondents' dinner, for the night by the numbers. our own steve kornacki is at the big board to break it all down. steve?

>> all right, crunching some numbers, and why don't we start with the map. not an electoral map, but a map of the banquet hall, you can see right here, there are 260, count them 260 tables, each one of them set for 10 people, so real advanced math here, that works out to 2,600 people. now, if it feels a little cramped around you, it's for good reason. the entire venue, less than 30,000 square feet. so good luck maneuvering your way around, and leave a little extra room if you will for your servers. a stat about that, banquet staff, 25 years, a quarter of a century, that's the average experience at whca dinners for each banquet team member. now, let's get to the most pressing question that i know is on your mind right now, what's on the menu? well, let's check that out. holy potatoes. as in 675 pounds of them. so this might be a nod to a certain president's irish roots. speaking of presidents, another number to keep in mind. that number is 16. as in there are 16 sitting

presidents who have had attended this dinner through the years, it started with calvin coolidge, back in 1923. but enough about the presidents. i want to talk about you for a minute. because being at this dinner, you are doing something very important, you are contributing to scholarships for the next generation of journalists, 30 of them waiting in the wings tonight, and that brings me to the single most important number, i can share with you this evening, that number is $3.5 million, $3.5 million, in scholarships, in the whca and its partners, given out since the 1990s, so congratulations to the recipients. that is your dinner data. >> at the white house, we are going to go to a quick break. you're watching msnbc special coverage of the white house correspondents' dinner. we'll be right back. we'll be rhtig back. go further with 5g solutions. that's why they choose t-mobile for business. pga of america and t-mobile are partnering on 5g-powered analytics to help improve player performance. t-mobile's network helps aaa stay connected nationwide...

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welcome back, everyone to msnbc's continuing coverage of

the 2024 correspondents' dinner. i'm ayman mohyeldin here with my all-star panel, moments away from tonight's main event, the jokes, from both the president and "snl"'s colin jost. but first, let's bring in our panel to talk about what we've been watching throughout the night. msnbc daily columnist and host of sirius xm, and a democratic strategist, former democratic campaign adviser and rick wilson co-founder of the lincoln project and jason, one-half of the comedy duo, the good liars, and i have to say the one-half part, it is in the writer, along with the white m&ms for you as well that we put in there. >> and i found one green one in there and i want to say on the air, i'm not doing this show again. >> that's right. >> people are calling. >> i can hear it. >> all right, so we've got a glimpse of the awards, i thought there was an interesting theme and it speaks to the moment that we find ourselves in, several of the journalists who won the

awards, having to do with the reporting around the israel-gaza war. what do you think of that? >> in case the media is watching, joe biden has not fallen asleep throughout the event. so maybe there should be articles contrasting the two. >> maybe he didn't get up fast enough to shake everyone's hand. >> look at how biden is engaging, warm, and they have to pull him away to take the photo. i think it was remarkable that you saw the reporting had to do with president biden's trip there in gaza, and surprising, maybe they're doing it now, i'm hoping they will talk about the loss of life of journalists who were in gaza, and others around the world, but so many, over 100, or 200, depending on the estimates, and people who are photojournalists and cameramen, i hope that is talked about as well. >> we're waiting for the main event to start with the roasting and the comedy and certainly if there is any mention of that, we will bring it to the audience.

what did you make of how the event is going so far in terms of the awards that were given out, and the backdrop and the juxtaposition between those awards being handed out to the reporters on the inside and the protests taking place on the outside? >> i think that to some of the biggest stories, the ones that are actually getting the awards, we're seeing what is happening with great reporting that is coming out of gaza, but also the juxtaposition with that, and what happened in uvalde, for instance, and our nation's war, so to speak, with who is going to actually have common sense government, if it is ever going to happen. and the risk of all of these young people dying and things not moving forward. and i think that is what is happening outside is something that needs to happen in this country. we've talked about it in, and you know, america's protest rights are something that are valid, they're extremely important, it's vital to the progress of our democracy. progress of our democracy.

meatloaf, you fired gary busey. these are the kind of decisions that would keep me up at night. >> what was donald trump thinking? would he recover from this? tonight, your answer. >> i will tell you, i will tell you it is really a tremendous opportunity to be at the most failed dinner anybody has ever d seen, great to see you losers. a lot of people say that.

hello, everybody. why is it so quiet? it is quieter than sleepy joe. hello, joe, we are going to debate, that is what they are saying. a lot of stars here, a lot of great people. there is scarlet johannesburg. scarlet is here from "black widow." i love the plaques, it is true. you have a lot of people that could potentially be a vice president. you have laura trump, who is a lot better than rhonna mcdonald. you like a happy meal, right? but, i will tell you this, you are site, so uptight, right? this dinner is sadder than taylor swift's new album "the tortured presidents department." look at him in the white tuxedo, he doesn't like me too much. i will tell you, the chinese apps are being banned. we have to post ouron snapchat. i'm on fire right now, like the guy outside the courthouse,

right? not soon enough. not soon enough. but, i will tell you, i am killing this dinner harder than kristi noem kills the puppies. moving on please. even bernie sanders has something to say. mr. trump, you have no idea what the ordinary experiences every day americans are. i am concerned with battling the ruthless dictators like vladimir putin. can we all agree on that, can we all agree ? even mitch would agree with that right now. mitch? well, let me begin by stating what a privilege it is to be at this dinner celebrating ordinary americans and african- americans.

let me toss it to barack obama to close it out. >> everybody, d.c., you have been a lot of fun. when i was on the campaign trail in 2008, i led a chant with the crowd and i would say you fired up, ready to go. are you fired up? are you fired up? i'm ready to go. good night, guys. thank you so much. good night, thank you. thank you, mr. president. >> talk about making an impression. you have just seen a man with more than 200 forces who can capture the essence of anyone. please give it up for matt friend. thank you, matt. putting this evening together is just one part, one important part of being president of our association. i am happy to welcome a good friend who will succeed me later this summer and we promise a peaceful transition. l please welcome, eugene daniels

from "politico". >> we were just listening to comedian matt friend, a friend of the show, we should note, someone who has been a regular contributor. what do you think of his impressions question >> i thought they were terrific. i thought mitch mcconnell was spot on. >> you close your eyes, he is a deadpan donald trump. not just because he sounds like it but the incoherent rambling and the randomness of the things he goes after. he is very talented. i met, i met him a year ago and he was rattling off 100 in a roe different impressions. >> that is a real talent. >> i will tell you, one thing, as a comedian myself, because i am still a comedian, having another comedian do an appearance when you are a comedian, it might be stepping on the jokes that colin is going to do or elevating too

much about trump at an event that should be a celebration of freedom of speech, freedom of press and on some level, president biden for being there. i'm not saying it's bad, i'm saying that is the only part of it. >> cleaning and matt friend. >> is great. it is not about him. >> that's not my point. ha he did a great job. what he did, why invite when you have collin jost and why make so much about trump? let's not make everything about trump. this is a celebration of free speech and president biden, to be honest. >> do you have any comments you would like to make about matt friend? >> is really good stuff. >> dean has a hard time. dean has a hard time being gracious and just being like, you know. >> there is a real talent that comes from being able to do that many impressions. they were believable. i thought he did a great job. >> i think when you are that good of an observer, just to be

a good medium and an impressionist, you observe the nuance of the personalities ande bring them to life and certainly did, which is why i think he has become the star that he is. >> working on an impression of you. something with his hands, leaning in. >> you have one more commercial break to work on it. >> this was not a criticism of matt friend at all. just reading, why did you have another comedian in the middle ? >> it sounds like you are better for not being invited. >> can we just talk about how they give these awards out like this is the best reporting that has ever been done on this issue and then they are like here is a check for 2500 bucks. i think it should be a little more money, especially at an event like this. >> i will tell you this. here is the important part of this, you are looking at your screen at the scholarship winners, the recipients of the $3.5 million. i'm going to go out on a limb

and say they don't give the money to the journalists, they give them the $2500 but they get the 3.5 million to where it should go, the next generation. perhaps maybe not announced that we are given a $2500 check to the award winners. that should go to panelists observing the white house correspondents dinner. >> all you guys got was a diet coke and some water. joking aside, we are waiting for the president to speak and we are waiting to hear from collin jost. the theme i thought was really important that kelly o'donnell talked about as well, the freedom of speech and the significance of this moment. you made a very interesting point as well, which was the humor that the president was engaging in. president biden was laughing at jokes that were made at its expense and that is what, in some ways, this event is all about in the simplest form. >> some people take that for granted. we have seen it. him and a

friend of us, who was known as the jon stewart of the middle t east, years ago when i interviewed him, he said one of the most amazing things in your country is your white house correspondents dinner, where the president of the united states and sits there and knows he will be mocked and laughed at the jokes it is fine with it. in other countries, you can do that. really, we should look at how important this is and how trump not going says, it really, it is undemocratic, it is a much i bigger issue than not laughing. it is going against what defines us. that we can mark the president. all of it. we can curse the president out. trump won't allow that. if you got back in, there's nothing to hold him back. >> there are serious journalists we know of. let's watch a video where the journalists are right now engaging in a little bit of humor. >> i'm whitehouse radio correspondent, of course my office is a windowless closet in the basement. >> of course and unprofessional counter. testing, one, two, three. >> white house correspondent, of course i listen through the walls to know what is going on around here. >> i may white house correspondent. of course i know you are listening, peter. knock it off. >> i may white house while a reporter. of course going on the record g doesn't require an actual name.

senior u.s. officials. >> i may white house producer, of course i have a glass from air force one. or maybe a little bit more. >> we are white house correspondents. of course we spent half hour time in scranton. >> i'm a white house photojournalist. of course we call this the lavateria. >> i'm a white house reporter, of course i'm desperate for an interview with annie biden. >> i may white house i correspondent, of course i asked multiple questions on multiple topics with multiple follow-ups. >> of course i sidestepped a few covid-19 questions here and there with i don't want to get at the president. tonight, i want to get ahead of the president and i have a speech right here. there are some great punchlines. >> no, no, no. >> we are white house press agents. of course we move press out of

the oval. thank you, press. >> i too am a white house correspondent. of course, of course, i appreciate the good humor of colleagues who wanted to take you behind the scenes. this is one night where we celebrate, we laugh. hopefully at ourselves. we take a breath and a beat before we get back to work. with the world on edge, a nation weary but resilient, a campaign that is not the echo of four years ago. however familiar the names and the issues. all of this, all of it is a heck of a story. our white house correspondents association includes more than 800 journalists from all branches of the news business. we are 250 news organizations and our members represent 39 countries. every news that emanates from the white house and around the

world. our work, at its best, seeks information and accountability, not specific outcomes. in that vein, we ask questions. we often shout questions. we would welcome more opportunities to post them in a calm and measured way. we strive for knowledge, not noise. these days, with the boundless resources of taxpayers and donors and the skill of marketing experts, any white house or campaign can create its own content. we believe that independent professional journalists on hand to document the events of t a presidency are stewards of something precious, more enduring than any news cycle or trending topic. we preserve the historical record. part of the legacy of the first amendment. our association acts as the primary voice supporting a sprawling press corps, with wl

many separate employers. we advocate and organizer for press access around all daily s events for and domestic and then we tackle things like workspace facilities and mentorship activities. i am grateful to our board for all of your hard work and a special thank you to our executive director for your expertise and dedication. thank you, steve. my gratitude is multiplied because this week marks a career anniversary for me. er 30 years with nbc news. i am very lucky. i am very lucky. is to president, i think that might have been applauding age, i don't know. i am optimistic that we can do more to demonstrate that a free press serves democracy, even when truth can be tough to discern and trust is hard to earn and maintain. even when some of our fellow citizens to us out. we have work to do to understand the difference between reporting and posting,

to use our voices to inform and not to inflame. those close to me know that i have been counting the days to this dinner for months. but, i knew there are others in our news community who have been counting too for very different reasons. at "the wall street journal," the accounting for moscow correspondent evan gershkowvitz. the u.s. has designated evan as wrongfully detained and evan's parents and his family are with us tonight and pr with you always. you remember austin tice, nearly 12 years since he was kidnapped in syria . his mother

debra is with us. we are with you. mr. president, again, we humbly ask that you do everything you can to bring them home. our profession can be perilous. since october, about 100 journalists have been killed, most of those deaths in gaza. according to the committee to protect journalists. around the world, more than 320 reporters and present as of december, including an american with dual russian citizenship, who works for the u.s. funded radio free europe radio liberty. she has been jailed in russia since october. here at home, there are different challenges, online threats, hostility printed at reporters on the job, and anxieties about a paycheck. layoffs have hit our business very hard this year. for news consumers who believe e that a free press is essential, demonstrate that belief with a

subscription. show that professionally gathered means is a product you value. and, we owe you our best efforts and our highest standards. so, i have a ritual that began years ago when i first started on the beat. ed no matter what is going on, i make a point to think about this every time i walk through the gates. i remember that i am the granddaughter of irish immigrants who came here with gr little and believed in a big, bright future. i recognize that any day could change from quiet to consequential, upended by unexpected events. history could pivot that very day. so, ask myself, will i be ready? will i be worthy? will you? past whca presidents are out of the audience tonight. i can see our press corps. please stand up.

former board members of the whca, please stand . our chief white house correspondence, please stand. our current correspondence, reporters, producers, visual and broadcast journalists on this a beat, please stand. colleagues who have previously covered the white house, i am so proud of all of you. join me, join me in a tradition where we show our respect for the office we cover. on this night, a toast to the first amendment and to the president. mr. president. and now, i get to say words those irish grandparents and my mom and dad never thought were possible. i am honored to welcome the 46th president of the united states, joe biden.

>> thank you, thank you, thank you. if you think your irish grandparents are wondering, my great-great-grandparents that got here in 1846 are going what is going on ? i want to thank you for the warm welcome. please, not allowed. donald was listening. sleepy donald. i kind of like that. i may use that again. kelly o'donnell, president of the white house correspondents association, thank you for having me. kelly, let's be honest, you are way too young to be president.

it has been a year since i delivered this speech and my wife jill is worried how i would do. i told her don't worry. just like riding a bike. she said that's what i'm worried about. of course, the 2024 election is in full swing. yes, age is an issue. i am a grown man running against a six-year-old. well, i feel great, i really feel great. i'm campaigning all over the country. pennsylvania, georgia, north carolina. i have always done well in the original 13 colonies. speaking of history, did you hear what donald just said about the major civil war battle?

gettysburg, wow. trump speaks was so embarrassing, the statute of robert e lee surrendered again. look, age is the only thing we have in common. my vice president actually endorses me. i had a great stretch since the state of the union. donald has had a few tough days lately. you might call it stormy weather. what the hell. trump is so desperate he started reading the bibles he's selling . then he got to the first commandment. you shall have no other gods before me.

that's when he put it down and said this book is not for me. look, being here is a reminder that folks think what is going on in congress is political theater. that is not true. if congress were theater, they have thrown out lauren probert a long time ago. to all my friends in the press, and fox news, some of you complain that i don't take enough of your questions. no comment. of course, "the new york times," issued a statement blasting me for "active and effectively avoiding independent journalism." hey, if that is what it takes to get "the new york times" to say i'm active and effective i'm for it. it's okay.

i have higher standards. i do interviews with strong, independent journalists, who millions of people actually listen to, like howard stern. and i know you are looking around and setting this guy has been doing this for 50 years, he's had his moment, give someone else a chance. to say that, i say lauren, ignore the critics. ignore the critics. lauren is a great friend, has had eight comedians planing on saturday night live. eight. who says i'm not a real job creator. lorne has had more medians and actors joke about me, like the funny guy on weekend update, michael che. he's hilarious. scarlett johansson commuted such an incredible job in your state of the union rebuttal.

you should be doing weekend update. clearly, you are the funny one in the family. look, folks, on a serious note, in a tradition of marrying up, colin and i have one thing in common. we both find strength in family. i got to spend time with his family yesterday in the oval office. collins dad was a high school teacher at staten island and his mom is an incredible woman, a family of firefighters, chief medical officer in new york city fire department on 11. as a doctor, she rushed to ground zero, risking her own life, treating and saving fellow first responders. rushing into danger for others is my definition of patriotism and heroism. and, so is what all of you do

when you report truths over limes. that is what i want to close with my genuine thanks to the free press. there are some who would call you the enemy of the people. that is wrong and it is dangerous. you risk your lives doing your job. you do. covering everything from natural disasters to pandemics to wars and so much more. some of your colleagues have given their lives. many of suffered grievous injuries. other reporters have lost their freedom. journalism is clearly not a crime, not here, not there, not anywhere in the world. and vladimir putin should release evan immediately. we are doing everything we can. we are doing everything we can

to bring home journalists, fellow journalists, austin and all americans like paul whelan. we are not going to give up until we get them home, all of them. all of them. the third anniversary of january 6, i went to valley forge. i sent the most urgent question of our time is whether democracy is still, is still the sacred cause of america. that is the question the american people must answer this year. you the free press play a critical role in making sure the american people have the information they need to make an informed decision. the defeated former president has made no secret of his attack on our democracy. he says he wants to be a dictator on day one and so much more. he told supporters he is there revenge and retribution.

when in god's name have you heard the president say something like that ? he promised a bloodbath when he loses again. we have to take this seriously. eight years ago, it could've been written off as just talk. no longer. not after january 6th. i am sincerely sorry, not asking you to take sides but asking to rise up to the seriousness of the moment. move past the horserace numbers and the gotcha moments and the distractions, the sideshows that have come to dominate and sensationalize our politics and focus on what is actually at stake. in your hearts, you know what is at stake. the stakes couldn't be higher. every single one of us has roles to play, a serious role to play in making sure democracy indoors, american democracy. i have my role but with all due respect, so do you. in the age of disinformation, credible information, people

can trust is more important than ever. that makes you, i mean this from the bottom of my heart, makes you more important than ever. tonight, i would like to make a toast. to a free press, to an informed citizenry, to an america where freedom and democracy indoor. god bless america. now, i'm going to turn it over to kelly and then you hear from a real comedian. i think i know what i'm in for. you know collin jost has taken aim at me before with his jokes , like saying after winning the south carolina primary, biden barely edged out his closest rival, time. calling, when i win, i'm going to have a whole lot of time and i'm going to be watching, pal. kelly, back to you.

>> thank you very much. thank you. thank you mr. president, thank you so very much for being here and for your words in support of journalists. now we turn to collin jost, our headline entertainer . colin not only brings the excitement of his own charisma and talents but is guests are strictly a- list. in fact, i've been watching this evening as many of you have been trying to get a selfie and hoping to get close to a very special woman who is a big, big star in collins life, his mother, dr. carrie kelly. and, i know scarlett agrees that collins mother is indeed a star in her own right.

as the president indicated, dr. kelly spent nearly 4 decades with the new york city fire department. she became the first woman named the fdny chief medical officer. her service, 9/11 is the president indicated, where she led triage efforts. dr. kelly, we thank you for your good work. as his mother, you know, yes, dr. kelly and collin jost , as you know, colin shares a lot in common with many of us tonight. we are all fans of scarlett johansson. so, for a moment, i'm going to take you back to when calling himself was a reporter for the esteemed publication at regis high school. the owl. a young: just scooped 10 ways not to start an english paper.

an in-depth reporting on faculty summer plans. then, and now, collin jost is at the core a talented writer. that is what i wanted him here tonight. he is now the longest-serving anchor of weekend update on saturday night live . are you ready? are you ready? it is my thrill to welcome collin jost. >> thank you, everyone, hello. that was hard-hitting journalism use on in the owl. i didn't know you were going to show photos of me from high school. it's not really fair. you can't do it for president biden because the technology wasn't

invented when he was in high school. it's not really fair. good evening, everyone. i'm collin jost and i will be delivering the republican response . i will be honest with you, i don't have a lot of time. i need to get back to new york because i am juror number five on a big trial. trumps lawyer took one look at me and he's like he's got to be on our side. thank you, kelly, for that very kind introduction. mr. president, dr. biden, vice president harris, doug. , doug, as you can tell from

comments about my wife, and also used to being the second gentleman. now, i am honored to be here hosting what is, according to swing state polls, the final white house correspondents dinner. i hope that tonight will be a night to remember for most of us. i was excited to be appear on stage with president biden tonight, mostly of the see if i could figure out where obama was pulling the strings from.

i have to admit, it is not easy following president biden. it is not always easy following what he is saying. but, before i begin tonight, can we just acknowledge how refreshing it is to see a president of the united states at an event that doesn't begin with a bailiff saying all rise? and, i would like to point out, it is after 10:00 p.m. sleepy joe is still awake. while donald trump has spent the past week falling asleep in court every morning. though fox news said he was just being anti-woke. we are all here tonight at nerd

prom. while matt gaetz is at regular prom. i actually thought i saw matt gaetz here tonight but it was just my own reflection in a spoon . like many of you here tonight, i pretend to do news on tv. , my weekend update coanchor emma michael che, was going to join me here tonight. in solidarity with president biden, i decided to lose all my black support . michael che

told me to say that and i am just realizing i was set up . i have done weekend update for a while now. most people don't know that i started out doing the actual news. my first job out of college was as a reporter for the staten island advance newspaper. they do not have a table here tonight. but, they asked me to pass along this message to the other print journalists in the room. you think you're better than me? by the way, i want to point out, when i worked at least at an island advance, we had a daily circulation of 100,000. the washington post would kill for that. as a former aspiring

journalist, i want to genuinely congratulate all of the award winners here tonight. congratulations. the correspondence association provides scholarships to promising young journalism students who may one day be sent off to cover dangerous geopolitical hotspots like columbia university. tonight, this event is being televised live on c-span. if you are at home watching c-span on a saturday night, i hope they find your body soon. before your cats get to it.

there are so many incredible news organizations here tonight also, a few credible ones. "the washington post" is here. "the washington post". they were the ones taking your coats at the door. please be sure to tip. fox news is here tonight. it is the end of an era. rupert murdoch stepped down at fox news, which is strange, i didn't think there was a step down from fox news. trump media is here. trump medium but not at a table, just screaming loudly in the corner to no one.

wordl is here tonight. sorry, i meant "the new york times". i forgot they do stuff in addition to puzzles. i have to say, it is not a great sign when the only thing keeping a print media company alive are games people play on their phones. too chilling for you guys? the room just goes faster than mitch mcconnell. now, i have to say, apologies to the times but as a staten island or, i still get all my news from "the new york post." thank you. the only paper where the front page always has the same 200 point font, whether the headline is world war iii to start tomorrow, or central park eyewall dead in building collision.

"the new york post," is like having the new york times summarized for you by a crackhead. the times will same a border deal continues to evade congress and the post is like these mexicans are taking my stuff. there are so many incredible individuals here tonight. laura trump is here tonight. okay. she recently released a cover of the song "i won't back down." upon hearing it, tom petty died again. i can't believe i'm saying this to a member of the trump family but maybe stick to politics. senator bernie sanders is here.

he's not the type to pass up a free hot meal. in general, there are so many hard-working influential senators and congress people here tonight. i just want to say, on behalf of everyone i know, stop emailing us. stop it. we get it. democracy is on the line. and your plan to save it is to flood our inboxes like you are crate and barrel. it is also wonderful to be back in washington. i love being in washington. the last time i was in d.c., i left my cocaine at the white house. luckily, the president was able to put it to good use for his

state of the union. i'm kidding. of course, the president doesn't call it cocaine, he calls it high-speed rail. by the way, can you blame the guy for turning to cocaine? you must be exhausted, orchestrating four separate trials against his rival, rigging the super bowl, and giving up to steal a second election. wow. biden laughed. i love, by the way, trumps two attacks on president biden are that he's a senile old man and a criminal mastermind. unlike i think you have to pick one. personally, i don't know

any criminal mastermind who like to get ice cream. also, it is not like trump himself is young and sharp. i'm not saying both candidates are older but you know jimmy carter is out there thinking i could maybe win this thing. he's only 99. there is an election, there is an election six extremely long months from now. let me see if i can summarize where this race stands at this moment. the republican candidate for president owes half 1 billion in fines for bank fraud and is currently spending his days starting himself awake during a star hush money trial and the

race is tied? the race is tied. nothing makes sense anymore. the candidate who is a famous new york city playboy took abortion rights away and the guy who's trying to give you your abortion-rights back is an 80-year-old catholic. how does that make sense? by the way, president biden, isn't it crazy he's only our second catholic president? what's even crazier is in just a few short months, we will have our third in rfk junior. i'm kidding. like his vaccine card says, he doesn't have a shot.

everything feels strange now. i a lot of measures, president biden is having a very successful first term but people don't seem to realize it. like, with the economy. the vibes are bad but the numbers say it's strong. the economy is kind of like you on the steps of air force one. it feels like it's stumbling but there's somehow upward progress. i do think you can do more on the economy, sir, i really do. for example, have you considered eliminating the national debt by shorting trump's stock ? people keep asking if our lives are better than they were four years ago.

of course they are. four years ago, we didn't have online sports gambling. what more do you need? by the way, that is probably what is keeping the economy afloat. online gambling and taylor swift. without those, we would be in a recession right now. the problem is, people are always going to compare your first term to obama's but i think there are actually a lot of positive similarities. they both made big strides in health care. obama got us out of a recession, you got us out of a pandemic. obama got bin laden, you got oj. by the way, now that oj is dead, who is the new frontrunner for trump's vp ? is

it diddy? i bet if trump did select diddy as his running mate, but this race would still be tied . i think even some democrats say that they are underwhelmed but i think they are just not living in reality. manage your expectations, people. it is like tonight. sure, we all wish we were at the waldorf right now but we are at the washington hilton. and, we have to make the best of it. just be happy you are not at the airport hilton. journalists, these are challenging times and we need the people in this room to help

guide us through it. your jobs are not easy and it doesn't help that we are living at the end of traditional media. the gatekeepers are gone. did you know 90% of people now get their news exclusively from social media? that must be true because i saw it in a random guys to talk. he was recording the video while driving a toyota corolla he seemed to know his stuff. isn't it crazy, by the way, that tiktok could be outlawed in the u.s. by the end of this year? that is a real shame. we are going to need tiktok to document who is storming the capitol next january 6th. things are not bad for everyone, though. this may be the worst time in history to be a print journalist. it is the best time in history to be a courtroom sketch artist. my god, the most famous man on earth is on trial and there's no cameras allowed. just the artist, their pastels,

and their desire to make trump look as bad as possible. every sketch of trump looks like the grinch had with the lorax . in closing, i would really like to take a moment to recognize all of the print journalists in this room. your words speak truth to power. your words bring light to the darkness, and most importantly, your words train the ai programs that will soon replace you. finally, i wanted to thank my family, and i wanted to thank my friends for being here tonight to support me. i want to thank my wife for him

during lots of jokes and for agreeing to individually meet everyone in this room right after the ceremony. that is that is really special, honey, thank you. don't be shy, come right up. she hates privacy. and with my family in mind, i wanted to share one last thing with you before i go and i wanted to share one thing with you, mr. president, before i go. i lost my grandfather this year, as you alluded to, a firefighter, william kelly. he is the reason that our son's middle name is william. he helped raise me growing up and i would not be here today without him. my grandpa was a firefighter on

staten island for 40 years. to make extra money for his family, he was a substitute teacher and he painted houses. since it is staten island, i should point out it is not like the scorsese irishman painting houses. he was not a mafia hit men. he actually painted houses. the fbi is here, i don't want to start the whole thing. my grandfather was another rare irishman who didn't drink because he lost his father and his brother to alcoholism. and, i swear, mr. president, this is not an age comparison. you remind me of him. some of you are best qualities remind me of his. and, i will say, he was 95 and he was still great at stairs.

i think it is because he didn't try to run up them. but, the reason that i bring up my grandfather, and i don't know if you know, if you realize, mr. president, staten island firefighters are not normally your demographic. staten island voted about 70% for trump in the last election and the other 30% was for rudy giuliani. but staten island also sided with the british during the revolutionary war so we are not always on the right side of history. you remember.

my grandfather, a staten island firefighter voted for you, mr. president. he voted for you in the last election that he ever voted in. i'm sure someone else will vote twice in this election using his name but that is just how the democratic machine works. he voted for you and the reason that he voted for you is because you are a decent man. my grandpa voted for decency and decency is why we are all here tonight. decency is how we are able to be here tonight.

decency is how we are able to make jokes about each other and one of us doesn't go to prison after. we go to the newsmax after party. and when you look at the levels of freedom throughout history and even around the world today, this is the exception. this freedom is incredibly rare and the journalists in this room help protect that freedom and we cannot ever take that for granted. mr. president, i thank you for your decency on behalf of my grandfather. i thank all of you, almost all of you, for your decency as well. i am very honored and grateful that you invited me here tonight. thank you and good night.

>> you are listening to collin jost. that was preceded by president joe biden. quite the evening, ending on a very important and powerful note, one we have been talking about through the course of this evening. i kind of want to go around real quick and get your impressions of what you all thought about the comedy, about the substance, but the politics of what we heard from both the president and collin jost. >> the president didn't avoid the politics. he leaned in and in a way i think a lot of people probably didn't expect. he was very forceful but he also related people of what is at stake. is trying to do that throughout this presidential election cycle. tonight, he laughed at himself, he cracked some jokes, he

called out some things. most importantly, he laid the groundwork for what lies ahead. he reminded people of white our democracy is so important to fight for. >> this line stood out to me, when the president crystallized everything going on in this country. he said it in the form of a question. is democracy the sacred cause of america? that will be the decision on the ballot, november. he kind of threw it back at the press setting don't take sides but you have an important role to play in informing citizens of this decision. >> that is right. it is that trope about don't just talk about the horserace, talk about the stakes. he laid the stakes out very clearly tonight. i think you are exactly right. he's not afraid to go and lean in and throw a couple punches. again, just like last year, just like he does at the state of the union, he steps up for these big events. he proves that he is sharp and that's it and this isn't some guy who is dawdling along. he understands how big this practice. he understands how important the calling of this moment is. >> i think you did very well tonight. >> the call to action was impressive. to your point, he said you have to go beyond the gotcha moments, you have to go beyond

the horseracing, the poll numbers. this is a serious moment and it has to be one in which everyone plays their part and steps up to the occasion. >> exactly. >> jason, what did you think of the evening question >> i thought colin did a great job. i thought biden had some great lines too and i really liked that at the end, colin had this opportunity and he took it and made it and told a personal story about his grandfather and took the moment. i think as a comedian, you go out there like this is, this could be the biggest moment of your career. i'm talking to the president of the united states, i'm going to speak from the heart and i really love that. >> he did it with grace and the very important message of decency. we sometimes lose sight of how important decency is. we started the coverage tonight by talking about the importance and how singularly unique this event is in western democracies around the world. i don't see events like this in any other country around the world, certainly in any nondemocratic countries around the world. he brought it back home to

those in attendance, the journalists, the media executives, the politicians. this is a rare moment and we should take note of that. >> also, the jokes were funny. i thought you did a great job. >> what stood out to you? >> the fox news joke was great. biden's fox news joke. putting the camera on lara trump, peter doocy. the line of the night was i never thought i would tell a trump family member but stick to politics. i thought one of the funnier moments was when he expressed the fact that the republican nominee is a guy who starts in court to stay awake on trial for paying off money to a star and get the race is tied. >> that stood out. me and jason could do this next year for less than $2500. >> i have a comedy partner.

>> unbelievable. >> i work alone anyway, i was just being nice. here's the thing. i think that that stood out to me. look at the guy. remind me of an snl joke from a long time ago, it was against george h.w. bush and if i can you believe and listen to this guy ? they made him so over-the-top and his inability to communicate. here, to me, the one thing was seriously, even though i come from a comedy background, allegedly a comedian, the one thing that both biden and collin jost talked about was the stakes and what is going on and freedom and don't take this for granted. i think president biden appealing to the media, you have a role in all of this. protecting our democracy and is it sacred to you or not. i've never seen that before. he's talking to them right there in the room. there's the partisan part but he elevated it and so did colin. >> the funny line also wants when president biden said he was running against a six-year-

old. that was at the very beginning. i think he took the age issue, spun it and played it to his advantage like a smart politician would. he's not shying away from it. he acknowledges it but also acknowledges with that comes this tremendous vision, the ability to beam, to distance themselves from the other senile guy he's running against. >> he showed he was an adult in the room, that age is not something that is hurting him. that it is actually one of his assets because of the experience he has but he also leaned in on a collective responsibility. calling out to the press, helping them to understand what their role is in this day and age and in this time where democracy is at stake. i think people did believe it was hyperbole. it's not. we are watching it every single day he rode. i think he is putting everything out there to fight for it. >> i want to close out the show

with acknowledging something you and i and all of us were waiting for to see. it was something our colleague kelly o'donnell talked about, paying tribute to the journalists, the number of journalists that have been killed, the journalists that are still in detention illegally in russia, austin tice in syria, evan gershkowvitz being held in russia, the number of journalists killed in gaza and those held around the world. it was an important message all of us are waiting for and it is a reminder of how important, how sacred this night is to the freedom of press and to a healthy democracy. can't thank you enough, thank you for making time for us. we know that denies looking for any opportunities. if you have one. if you have any opportunities for dino, please get in touch with him. i will see you again tomorrow night at 7:00 p.m. until then, i'm ayman mohyeldin in new york. have a great night, everyone. e what a week. a tabloid testimony in donald trump's hush money