The president of the United States, Joe Biden, humorously fitted in the jokes about his age at the traditional White House correspondents' dinner on Saturday night and even responded with more jokes about his 80 years.
Politicians and the media in Washington gathered for this event that celebrates press freedom in comedy, but leaves room for calls to free journalists imprisoned in other countries.
The show was in charge of the comedian Roy Wood Jr., who is part of the cast of the "Daily Show" program.
The comedian openly mocked Biden's announcement that he will seek a second term, which implies that if he is re-elected he can govern until he is 86 years old.
Wood referred to the massive demonstrations in France against the plan to raise the retirement age.
"They stood up because they do not want to work until they are 64 years old. In the United States, on the other hand, we have an 80-year-old man who begs to have a job for four more years," he snapped a few meters from Biden, who responded with a smile.
"'Let me finish the job' is not a campaign slogan, it's a plea," Wood added. "They can say what they want about our president, but when he wakes up from his nap, he gets the job done."
In his turn, Biden mocked media mogul Rupert Murdoch, a 92-year-old billionaire who owns the conservative Fox News network.
"You might think I don't like Rupert Murdoch, but that's not true. How could I not like a man who makes me look like Harry Styles?" the US president said, referring to a 29-year-old pop star.
The president also hurled darts at former CNN anchor Don Lemon, who was fired for allegedly making sexist statements and age-biased remarks.
"Tell me that I am old, I consider it to be tanned. You say that I am old, I consider that I am wise. You say that I am already old, Don Lemon would say that this is being a man in the prime of life", he affirmed.
This evening is an unmissable ritual in the calendar of social life in the US capital, but in recent years it has been tarnished, first by the boycott of former President Donald Trump and then by its cancellation due to the covid-19 pandemic.
Last year, strict covid testing, mask wearing and social distancing kept the event low-key. But, for this year the tickets sold out.
According to the criteria of The Trust Project
