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- President Biden at the WHCA dinner on Saturday poked at the anti-Biden phrase "Let's go, Brandon."
- "Republicans seem to support one fellow," the president joked. "Some guy named Brandon."
- Biden is the first sitting president to attend the dinner since Barack Obama in 2016.
President Joe Biden on Saturday brought a degree of normalcy back to the Washington social calendar, partaking in the annual White House Correspondents' Association dinner, where politicos, journalists, and entertainers alike mingle and enjoy a few roasts at the expense of some of the highest-profile individuals in media and the arts.
Biden — who is the first sitting president to attend the event since then-President Barack Obama made an appearance in 2016 — had no trouble poking fun at his approval ratings, Fox News, and former President Donald Trump.
The president even made a joke about an anti-Biden phrase that has become part of the conservative lexicon over the past year.
"Republicans seem to support one fellow," he said during his remarks. "Some guy named Brandon. He's having a really good year. And I'm kind of happy for him."
The joke referenced an anti-Biden phrase that gained popularity after last October when NBC Sports reporter Kelli Stavast said that the crowd in the background of an interview with the NASCAR driver Brandon Brown was chanting, "Let's go, Brandon."
However, the audience could be heard shouting "Fuck Joe Biden."
Many Republicans have said that they feel as though the reporter who used the sanitized language was engaging in a form of media bias, rather than an attempt to avoid violating strict Federal Communications Commission rules against swearing during the NASCAR broadcast.
Since the incident, the saying has taken off in many right-leaning quarters, with merchandise being sold using the phrase.
Republican state Rep. Dave Williams of Colorado even tried to use the phrase alongside his name on the ballot for a congressional primary race, but was denied by Secretary of State Jena Griswold and a Denver judge.
Biden made other quips at the dinner, comparing Trump to a "plague" and poking at his age.
"This is the first time a president has attended this dinner in six years," he said to the crowd. "It's understandable. We had a horrible plague, followed by two years of COVID."
The president later told the comedian and "Daily Show" host Trevor Noah — who headlined the event — that he appreciated the name that was assigned to him after he won the 2020 presidential election.
"He called me 'America's new dad,'" Biden said. "Let me tell you something pal, I'm flattered anyone would call me a new anything. You're my guy."
To gain admission to the event, which was canceled in 2020 and 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic, attendees had to offer proof of vaccination and show a negative same-day COVID test result.
source https://www.businessinsider.com/biden-jokes-lets-go-brandon-white-house-correspondents-association-dinner-2022-5