Biden pokes fun at himself, Trump at Gridiron dinner

President Joe Biden spoke at the 2024 Gridiron dinner, along with Gov. Spencer Cox, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, and Gridiron President Dan Balz. The dinner, hosted by The Gridiron Club is “a tradition that started in the 1880s — where politicians and journalists roast themselves and one another,” the Deseret News reported.

Biden began his speech by poking fun at his age, and then at the length of his State of the Union address. He said, “So, I’ll keep my remarks just a few minutes less than my State of the Union. Kamala will stand up 83 times, because even the press has to admit: I crushed it. Granted, your expectations were so low, I just had to show up and remember who the president is.”

He also addressed his administration’s progress: “... Kamala and I and the members of the administration here tonight are proud — proud of our accomplishments on behalf of the American people: record job growth, wages rising, rigging the Super Bowl for Taylor Swift.”

Biden’s remarks on Trump

After making fun of his own age, Biden aimed at Trump.

He said, “The big news this week is two candidates clinched their parties’ nomination for president. One candidate is too old and mentally unfit to be president. The other is me.”

He continued, “Look, I’m running against the same guy that I beat in 2020. But don’t tell him. He thinks he’s running against Barack Obama. That’s what he said.”

Biden also mentioned Trump’s financial situation, saying, “Our big plan to cancel student debt doesn’t apply to everyone. Just yesterday, a defeated-looking man came up to me and said, ‘I’m being crushed by debt. I’m completely wiped out.’ I said, ‘Sorry, Donald, I can’t help you.’”

Recalling one of Trump’s pandemic blunders, Biden joked, “In the coming months, Kamala and I will be making the case how Americans are better off than four years ago, how we got so much through the pandemic, turned around the economy, reestablished America’s leadership in the world. All without encouraging the American people to inject bleach.”

Biden aims at Republicans

Poking fun at Republicans, Biden said, “And the biggest joke of the night: an impeachment inquiry. Imagine believing something so baseless that has a zero chance of succeeding. But Republicans would rather fail at impeachment than succeed at anything else.”

He added, “They take credit for one of the biggest infrastructure laws, but voted against it. And I’m the one confused?”

He also joked, “I heard House Republicans were going to do a skit tonight, but they couldn’t get a speaker.”

Biden briefly named Gov. Ron DeSantis in his speech. He said, “We know not everyone is feeling the progress we’re making. We’re committed to helping the little guy. Ron DeSantis, though, won’t take our calls.”

On a more serious note

Ditching the jokes, Biden took his speech in a more serious direction.

He said, “Look, I wish these were jokes, but they’re not. As I said in my State of the Union Address, we live in an unprecedented moment in democracy, and an unprecedented moment for history. Democracy and freedom are literally under attack.”

He praised the media, and called on them to educate the public. He said, “This is not hyperbole: We need you. We need you. Democracy is at risk, and the American people need to know. In fractured times, they need a context and a perspective. They need substance to match the enormity of the task.”