Biden defends freedom of the press at a media gala

US President Joe Biden spoke out strongly in favor of press freedom at the Washington Press Corps dinner. Biden said Saturday night (local time) that a free press is the mainstay of a free society, not its enemy, a reference to his predecessor Donald Trump who repeatedly called journalists “the enemy of the people.” This year’s celebration of journalism focused on journalists who have been unjustly imprisoned for doing their job. For example, Ivan Gershkovich from the Wall Street Journal, who is in prison in Russia.

But the party, which was attended by many journalists from the capital, as well as such stars as John Legend and Chrissy Teigen, is also traditionally an occasion to mock the president.

Biden started it himself. Based on his age, the president told some 2,600 guests that he loves the First Amendment, which enshrines freedom of the press, not only because James Madison, who wrote the paragraph in the 18th century, was his good friend.

Even the evening’s keynote speaker, comedian Roy Wood, couldn’t resist digging into the Biden era. In France, people are demonstrating against raising the retirement age to 64, and in the United States, an 80-year-old is begging to be allowed to work four more years, according to Wood, referring to Biden’s decision announced on Tuesday to run for retirement. Chapter II. Biden himself had to laugh, too.

Overall, this year has been more dangerous than some of the previous years. The truth is buried with lies and the lies remain as truth, Biden said, perhaps also regarding Trump and many of his supporters claiming and refuting over and over again that the result of the 2020 presidential election was fraudulent. Biden warned that this fuels hatred and anger and endangers democracy.