CNN will broadcast a special coverage of the White House reporters’ dinner from 7 to 11 p.m. ET, hosted by John Berman and Brianna Kaylar in Washington, DC.
Saturday night’s dinner, which will be held at the Washington Hilton and will accommodate 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 led by the host of “Daily Show” Trevor Noah and will include Biden, who makes comedy lines. The White House Correspondents Association, which hosts the annual Black Ties event, will honor several journalists for their contributions.
Biden’s appearance will be the first time the US president has attended a dinner in six years.
The gala gala will require negative Covid-19 entry tests and the masks will be voluntary – just as they are in most of Washington.
But there are growing fears that Saturday night’s event could lead to Covid cases among partygoers after dozens of attendees – including some of Biden’s cabinet staff – who attended a various party in Washington, Gridiron Dinner, tested positive weeks ago.
Covid’s case in Washington has been steady since rising after the Omicron wave surged, but Dr. Anthony Fauci, the president’s chief medical adviser, decided to give up Saturday 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 comes after two senior Biden executives recently tested positive for Covid-19.
Vice President Kamala Harris tested positive on Tuesday and remains asymptomatic. And White House senior communications official Kate Bedingfield tested positive on Friday and is experiencing mild symptoms. The president is not considered close contact in either case.
But Biden’s decision to attend dinner, White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said earlier this week, was “a risk assessment and a decision he made on a personal basis.” And Biden intends, she said, to express support for the free press. First Lady Jill Biden is also expected to attend.
The White House says the president will take additional precautions to prevent Covid-19 contamination, including skipping portions of the program. Biden will also “likely” wear a mask when not speaking, Psaki said on Friday. He will be at dinner for about 90 minutes and will sit on the podium, away from the crowded dining room, and will not attend receptions before or after.
Biden’s latest test was negative for Covid-19 on Thursday.
Adjust the tone for Biden’s comedy set
The president has a rare chance that his comedy steaks will shine on Saturday night when he remarks on dinner, but the opportunity probably 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 declined at an annual rate of 1.4% in the first three months of the year – the worst quarter for the US economy since the spring of 2020. Russia continues to wage war with Ukraine. And while his party is heading for a very consistent mid-season, Biden’s approval rating is stagnant – a recent CNN poll of Biden’s behavior during the presidency found that 41 percent of Americans approve of the work he does. 54% disapprove.
The speech is also taking place at a time when the American political environment remains extremely polarized, perhaps more divided than in 2016 – the last time the president delivered a speech at dinner.
Biden’s speech has been ongoing for several weeks, officials said, and was not completed by Friday. But at the beginning of the writing process, the president told his team that he was imagining an address that went beyond simply uniting one-lineers, tricks and jokes.
Jokes are expected for himself, the press and the Republican Party, but Biden also intends to use his appearance to reaffirm his faith in the free press after his predecessor – who missed the annual dinner throughout his tenure – called reporters “enemy of the people.”
The White House has procured a long list of jokes from all its staff to make a decoration for Saturday night. Officials said Chief of Staff Ron Klein, members of the communications team and other people in the White House sent jokes to the authors of Biden’s speeches for consideration. Rob Flatherty, director of digital strategy, and Dan Clucci, senior vocabulary – both among Biden’s most entertaining employees – are submitting materials.
Biden is expected to do a few exercises in his speech to feel the performance and the time, said a person familiar with the matter.
Kevin Liptak of CNN and Ariel Edwards-Levy contributed to this report.
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