If Joe Biden were ever to consider a career in stand-up comedy, he'd be highly advised to stick with his day job. But the president's mission Saturday night, appearing before a black-tie audience of 2,600 journalists and Washington establishment figures at the White House Correspondents' Dinner, wasn't to elicit big laughs.
Almost from the beginning of his appearance on the traditionally upbeat evening, Biden made personal attacks on his opponents of the kind we rarely hear from him. “The 2024 election is in full swing, and age certainly matters,” he said. “I'm a grown man fighting a 6-year-old.”
Biden has ordered White House aides not to speak publicly about Donald Trump's legal troubles, but Biden himself has not been able to address the former president's checkered scandal that has seen him spend his days in a Manhattan courtroom. I scoffed. “It's been a great uptick since the State of the Union. But Donald has had some rough days lately. You might call it 'wild weather.'” he said, making a subtle reference to adult film star Stormy Daniels, who is at the center of a hush money trial.
And towards the end, Biden criticized the media: I want you to recognize the seriousness of the situation and stand up. Let's look past the horse racing numbers, the awkward moments and distractions, the sideshows that have come to dominate and sensationalize politics, and focus on what's actually at stake. …The stakes couldn’t be higher. ”
Does this signal a shift, a shift away from Mr. Biden's personal brand of Uncle Joe kindness? That's what it sounded like to me. And it comes at a moment, for the first time in a long time, when Team Biden feels like a few things can go right in this election.
Since Biden's State of the Union address in March, the president's ranking in the polls where he lags his predecessor has shrunk slightly, but it's not worth reading too much into the small change in the numbers. The race is approaching and this situation is likely to continue until November.
And despite the former president's mounting legal costs, the Biden campaign has a significant economic advantage over the Trump campaign.
Meanwhile, on Capitol Hill, House Republicans' furious impeachment push against Biden is embarrassing.
Follow this authorOpinions from Karen Tumulty
But at least as important is the fact that the president, who came into office promising to get Washington working again, is showing tentative progress in that regard. Most notably, his efforts to get House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) to extract desperately needed aid to Ukraine were successful, including a $61 billion transfer to Kiev. It was a huge success with a huge bipartisan vote in support of the transfer.
Biden has won several other victories, including funding to avert a government shutdown in March and, most recently, government oversight that MAGA troops at the Capitol were determined to kill. This includes program reauthorization.
Will voters give him credit? Maybe so, but it hasn't happened yet. As Gallup reported last week, his average job approval rating in the 13th quarter of his presidency has languished at 38.7 percent, lower than any of his past nine predecessors at this point.
“With about six months left until Election Day, Biden is in a weaker position than previous incumbents and therefore faces a more difficult challenge than re-election,” said Gallup's Jeffrey M. Jones. ” he wrote.
Meanwhile, Mr. Biden has struggled to unite traditional Democratic constituencies, including nonwhites and young people, amid protests over the war in Gaza and Mr. Biden's support for Israeli military operations in Gaza. With all the turmoil on college campuses, this task is not an easy one.
Indeed, as the formally dressed guests headed to the correspondents' dinner on Saturday night, they were greeted by hundreds of pro-Palestinian demonstrators chanting “Shame on you!”
Considering all this, Biden's best option right now — and perhaps his only option — is not to expect the country to start recognizing his accomplishments. It begins to draw a sharper, more open-ended contrast with Trump and what it would mean if he were allowed back into the White House.
To quote the president's own favorite quote, that's no joke.
