Saturday’s dinner, which will be held inside the Washington Hilton and will host more than 2,500 guests, is back in full force after a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic. The program of the event will be titled by the host of “Daily Show” Trevor Noah and will have Biden making comic comments. The White House Correspondents’ Association, which hosts the annual Black Tie event, will honor several journalists for their contributions. Biden’s appearance will be the first time a US president has attended dinner in six years. Inside the gala, negative Covid-19 tests will be required for entry and the masks will be voluntary – just like they are all over Washington. However, there are growing concerns that Saturday night’s event could lead to Covid cases among attendees, as dozens of attendees – including some Biden Cabinet officials – who attended a different party in Washington, D.C. weeks ago. Covid cases in Washington are now stable after rising after the fall of the Omicron variant, but Dr. Anthony Fauci, the President’s chief medical adviser, decided to succumb to Saturday’s dinner after a personal risk assessment. “Overall, the risk is low, but I made a personal assessment. I am 81 years old and if I get infected, I have a much higher risk,” Fauci said earlier this week. Saturday’s event also comes after two top Biden officials recently tested positive for Covid-19. Vice President Kamala Harris tested positive on Tuesday and remains asymptomatic. And White House Chief Communications Officer Kate Bedingfield tested positive on Friday and has mild symptoms. The President was not considered close contact in either case. However, Biden’s decision to attend the dinner, White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said earlier this week, was “a risk assessment and a personal decision.” And Biden intends to go, he said, to express his support for a free press. First Lady Jill Biden is also expected to attend. The White House says the president will take extra precautions to prevent infection with Covid-19, including skipping a program meal. Biden will “probably” wear a mask when he is not speaking, Psaki said on Friday. He will be at dinner for about 90 minutes and will sit in the courtyard, away from the busy dining room and will not attend receptions before or after. Biden was last negative on Covid-19 on Thursday.
Adjust the tone for Biden’s comedy set
The president has a rare opportunity for his comedies to shine on Saturday night when he comments on dinner, but the opportunity undoubtedly comes at a difficult time for the country to laugh. The economic recovery from Covid-19 stumbled in the first quarter of 2022, with figures revealing this week that gross domestic product fell at an annual rate of 1.4% in the first three months of the year – marking the worst quarter for US economy since spring 2020. Russia continues the war with Ukraine. And as his party moves into a highly consistent mid-season, Biden’s acceptance score has stagnated – a recent CNN poll of Biden’s presidency shows that 41% of Americans approve of the job. which he does, with 54% disapproving. The speech also comes at a time when the American political environment remains highly polarized, arguably more divisive than in 2016 – the last time a president addressed a dinner. Biden’s speech has been in the works for several weeks, officials said, and was not completed on Friday. But at the beginning of the writing process, the President told his team that he envisioned an address that was more than just a fusion of one-piece, clever, and gag. Jokes are expected about himself, the press and the GOP, but Biden also intends to use the show to strongly reaffirm his faith in the free press after his predecessor – who missed the annual dinner throughout He described the journalists as “enemies of the people”. The White House has procured a long list of jokes from all its staff to make Saturday’s set. Officials said Chief of Staff Ron Klein, members of the communications team and others inside the White House had sent jokes to Biden’s editors for consideration. Rob Flaherty, director of digital strategy, and Dan Cluchey, a senior speech editor – both said to be some of Biden’s funniest employees – have submitted material. Biden is expected to do some practice of his speech to get a sense of tradition and timing, said one person familiar with the matter. CNN’s Kevin Liptak and Ariel Edwards-Levy contributed to this report.
