Washington Hilton
Washington, D.C.
(April 30, 2022)
10:07 P.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Thank you, Steve, for that introduction. And a special thanks to the 42 percent of you who actually applauded. (Laughter.)
I'm really excited to be here tonight with the only group of Americans with a lower approval rating than I have. (Laughter.) That's hard to say after what we just saw. (Laughter.)
This is the first time a President attended this dinner in six years. (Applause.) It's understandable. We had a horrible plague followed by two years of COVID. (Laughter and applause.)
Just imagine if my predecessor came to this dinner this year. Now, that would really have been a real coup if that occurred. (Laughter.) A little tough, huh? (Laughter.)
But I'm honored to be here at such an event with so much history.
As already referenced, the very first President to attend the White House Correspondents' Dinner was Calvin Coolidge in 1924. I had just been elected to the United States Senate. (Laughter.) And I reme- — I remember telling him, "Cal, just be yourself. Get up there and speak from the heart. You're going to be great, kid. You're going to do it well." (Laughter.)
Of course, Jill is with me tonight. Jilly, how are you, kid? (Applause.) I think — I think she's doing an incredible job as First Lady. (Applause.) The First Lady to continue working full-time, and she does as a professor.
She doesn't pay much attention to the polls, though she did say the other day: Instead of introducing myself as Jill Biden's husband, maybe I should introduce myself as her roommate. (Laughter.)
I've attended this dinner many times, but this is my first time as President. And the organizers had — had it hard — made it pretty hard for me tonight. Although the good news is, if all goes well, I have a real shot at replacing James Corden. (Laughter.)
It was great having him over at the White House the other day, just as he announced he's leaving the show. A great performer is going out on top after eight years in the job. Sounds just about right to me. (Laughter and applause.)
And it's tough to follow pros like James and Billy Eichner. Billy, where are you again? Do you — where is he?
