CNN Live Event/Special Aired April 27, 2024 - 19:00 ET THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED. … (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) COLIN JOST, HOST, WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENTS' DINNER: Well, just hours ago, President Biden won the South Carolina Democratic primary, barely edging out his closest rival, time. (END VIDEO CLIP) JOHN BERMAN, CNN HOST: Good evening from the nation's capital. I'm John Berman with Sara Sidner. You might know us as most of the stars of CNN NEWS CENTRAL. Tonight's special live coverage of the White House Correspondents' Dinner where celebrities, politicians, and the invited media gather to celebrate the First Amendment. Now I say invited media because, once again, I was not invited. SARA SIDNER, CNN HOST: Oh, my goodness. I'm so sorry. I was invited but you know what, John, because you're here, I'm sacrificing fun and frivolous small talk to be with you. President Biden is expected to arrive very soon as he gets ready to tell jokes and roast the media and Washington along with "Saturday Night Live" star Colin Jost. BERMAN: So what we can promise you tonight, celebrities, dogs, goats and mayhem. Not to mention Scarlett Johansson. Now we want to kick off things live on the red carpet. That's where we find CNN's Harry Enten and Laura Coates standing by with a special guest. Good evening to you both. LAURA COATES, CNN ANCHOR AND CHIEF LEGAL ANALYST: We're so happy you guys are here and I am so happy, we both are. HARRY ENTEN, CNN SENIOR DATA CORRESPONDENT: Yes. COATES: To have Da'Vine Joy Randolph. Oh, my goodness, how are you? DA'VINE JOY RANDOLPH, ACTRESS: I am doing something so wonderful. I am so happy to be here and be here with you guys truly. COATES: We are so proud of this Oscar winner who was not crying when she won. So proud of you. RANDOLPH: Thank you. COATES: I mean, you were incredible and here you are. You know, red carpet so well. RANDOLPH: Yes. COATES: You look phenomenal. RANDOLPH: Thank you. COATES: You want to have some fun tonight? RANDOLPH: I do. I'm actually looking forward to it. I was saying, because I did "TIME 100" a couple of days ago, this is actually a new kind of fun for me because it's not so in our industry, and I love that it's global, I'm around so many other people. And I get to learn about other people and the amazing things that they've done. I'm so honored to be here tonight. COATES: There's going to be a beeline made for her, you know that, right? Like everyone is going to be around you, getting selfies. You're a legend. RANDOLPH: Thank you so much. I really feel honored. It's such a blessing in how all this turned out and it just continues to be a blessing, and I'm just so excited for what's next. It really feels like a beginning. So it's an honor to be here. ENTEN: Can I just say? You're such a pleasure because you came out here, you saw Laura, you gave her a hug, you saw me lonely off on the side. RANDOLPH: I thought he's a sweetheart. ENTEN: And you came in and you gave me a hug me and you made me offer a ride at home? RANDOLPH: Love all around. ENTEN: Let me just ask you one question. You know, you were mentioning this sort of being the intersection, everything going on. What are you making of this red carpet? It feels a little short to me? RANDOLPH: It is a little short. I'm used to longer but it's fun. Because at the end of the day it's that photo op because that's the moment. So you just stand, plant yourself, and that's it. COATES: Well, in D.C. the red carpets are short, but the bureaucracy is long and everything else about it, right, is how you do it. Listen, we're so proud to have you here. I can't wait to laugh, and looking forward to hearing Colin Jost roast everyone. RANDOLPH: He's so talented. He's so talented. I cannot wait and I know he has a million stuff for us in store. COATES: But do we know if he's here, who's doing "Weekend Updates" for "SNL"? ENTEN: You know, maybe I can try my hand on it next time around. COATES: I knew he would do that. RANDOLPH: You'd be great. COATES: When's your next project? RANDOLPH: I'm currently filming Pharrell's new musical, with Universal. COATES: Are you? RANDOLPH: Yes. About his life and inspired by his life. So Virginia, we're right over in Richmond. COATES: OK, well, the friend and I now lives even closer. I'm so glad you're here. Thank you for stopping by. RANDOLPH: Thank you. Truly an honor. COATES: Have fun. RANDOLPH: Thank you so much. COATES: Oh, she's the sweetest. Guys, she's wonderful and very gracious. ENTEN: Hold on, hold on. Don't leave me. RANDOLPH: I'm going to get you. ENTEN: There we go. COATES: Harry, we're making a Da'Vine Joy sandwich. Thank you. RANDOLPH: So lovely to meet you. COATES: Go have fun. RANDOLPH: Thank you. COATES: Good luck navigating this carpet. Everyone wants to meet you. I'm so proud. I got to meet Da'Vine. Da'Vine Joy. ENTEN: Dreams do come true, Laura. COATES: Dreams come true. I'm glad we held over. BERMAN: Very nice. COATES: Uh-oh. I'm on her dress. ENTEN: Oh, no. COATES: I was on her -- I didn't want you to go. I didn't want you to go. ENTEN: It's OK. Everything is OK. COATES: Oh, no. I made a faux pas. ENTEN: No. COATES: I landed on her dress, Harry. ENTEN: It's going to be a nice long evening. COATES: Are they going to throw me out of the place now? ENTEN: They're not going to throw you out. You have many chances to make amends for your faux pas right there. COATES: OK. Well, I'll try. I'll try to do that. I'm sorry. I failed already. I was going to say, Sara, John, what should we do next? [19:05:00] SIDNER: Laura, look, no wardrobe malfunction please. Please, we went through that at the Super Bowl. It's not OK. BERMAN: It looks really fun. It must be really nice to be there. SIDNER: Yes. BERMAN: It looks really fun to be there. You guys are having so much fun there. COATES: Well, with Harry, it's so much fun. ENTEN: The only thing that's missing is you two, but we'll get -- thank you very much. COATES: I got my blush on him. Sorry. ENTEN: And you know what, there have been far worse things that I've -- far worse things have gone to my shirt before. Chicken wing sauce, pasta sauce, cream soda, so a little blush from you ain't nothing too bad. COATES: I guess I'm in the category of chicken wing sauce. ENTEN: You're both delicious. COATES: Well, I mean, I didn't know how to put it. BERMAN: I know how much condiments matter to Harry so that comes with high praise. Listen, we're going to come back to you in a little bit. Enjoy yourselves there at the party. We'll hold it down here. SIDNER: We'll try. BERMAN: Joining us now is a comedic genius, the co-creator of "Everybody Loves Raymond" and the current star of "Somebody Feed Phil" on Netflix, Phil Rosenthal. It's so great to have you here with us tonight. You do have a history which we'll get to with the White House Correspondents' Dinner in a second. But let me just ask, you know, what are you most looking forward to watching tonight? PHIL ROSENTHAL, COMEDIAN: What a night? I love that Colin Jost is doing this. His jokes are always fantastic on "SNL" and I think President Biden is going to be fantastic. I love a president who has a sense of humor. SIDNER: Don't we all? Isn't that so helpful? I do have a question for you. Do you have any tips for his speech writers and for the president as to, you know, what he should say, like what the jokes should be like? ROSENTHAL: The jokes I know are going to be good. As you know, I've worked on a couple of these and I find that if you're a little bit self-deprecating and you can make fun of yourself, that always makes all the other jokes go down easier. BERMAN: Look, ain't that true in life? I mean, there's no better humor than self-deprecating humor. Some of us have more of an opportunity for it than others. You worked on, if I remember correctly, the one I remember is Bill Clinton's last video, right? ROSENTHAL: That's exactly right. BERMAN: I mean, what's it like to work with a president on comedy? Are they totally psyched to be told what to do? ROSENTHAL: Yes, in that case this was -- I wrote jokes for him for all eight years of the White House Correspondents' Dinner. My friend Mark Katz was their go-to humor person at the White House, and he brought me in as I was running "Raymond" and I always wanted to do a funny "SNL" type of video with the president. And they said that he doesn't have time to make one of these videos. He's the president. Until his last year. And then he had time. And so the video was all about President Clinton having too much free time in his last year, and if you want to see this, it's on YouTube, it's called "President Clinton the Final Days." And he is fantastic in it. He was really funny. SIDNER: All right. Let's listen to -- there it is. It's on the screen right there. Do we have sound of this? Can we listen in? No, it's just video. All right. Back in the day, you will remember that if you were as old as John and I. BERMAN: I vividly remember that. ROSENTHAL: But they brought me in, they brought me in to direct the president. That was crazy. SIDNER: OK, that's cool. That's pretty cool. ROSENTHAL: I -- you know, if you tell the most powerful man in the world what to do and he does it, doesn't that make you the most powerful man in the world? SIDNER: Good point. ROSENTHAL: And when I told my wife that, she said, pick up yourself. (LAUGHTER) BERMAN: The man who directs the leader of the free world. SIDNER: The president. BERMAN: Listen, just very quickly, Phil. Anything you have to be careful of if you're the comedian doing the roast, anything you shouldn't joke about, any, you know, third rail? ROSENTHAL: You know, good taste is always good, but I think politics are fair game, right? And of course there's going to be the requisite jokes that we all expect. The bravest act of comedy I think I ever saw in my life of any kind was Stephen Colbert at the George W. Correspondents' Dinner. BERMAN: Well, that was tough. He was tough on him and that was remembered for being tough and again, it can go all those different directions. ROSENTHAL: Yes. BERMAN: Listen, Phil, it's great to see you in person. Love your work. A big fan of everything you do. And it's even better that I know how powerful you are now. Thanks so much. Have a great night. ROSENTHAL: Yes, thank you. SIDNER: They'll be calling you up first in line, by the way. We need some one-liners. We didn't think of it. But now that we can get in touch with you, we're going to call you back. Appreciate you. ROSENTHAL: Happy to help. All right. SIDNER: Let's get back to the red carpet right now. Harry and Laura there, standing with two of the most fabulous, wonderful people that we know, other than yourselves. COATES: Do you know these women? Do you guys know these women? [19:10:01] I mean Dana Bash and Abby Phillip. ABBY PHILLIP, ANCHOR, CNN NEWSNIGHT: Hello, hello. COATES: They don't have ear pieces. They don't know we're saying all these lovely things about them. What was that funny joke about them? Oh, yes. (LAUGHTER) PHILLIP: I'm having a great time. It's weird to be on the other side of the microphone, Laura. DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: I can't hear the control room. ENTEN: That's a good thing. I think you're far better off. (CROSSTALK) ENTEN: Just go on. COATES: Do you guys feel calm all of a sudden, and you're like, oh, I'm going to enjoy my night. BASH: No voice into my ear. COATES: What are you looking forward to? BASH: I am looking forward to Colin Jost. I am looking forward to, honestly, Kelly O'Donnell, who is our good friend, my very good friend, very longtime friend, colleague and competitor, but really colleague and dear friend from NBC News, who I've covered campaigns with since before you were born. COATES: Thank you for that. Thank you so much. She left before I was born. ENTEN: Before both of us were born. COATES: Am I different than -- ENTEN: I'm not going to -- look it up on Wikipedia, people. COATES: This is live competition. ENTEN: Look it up at on Wikipedia. I'm just going to say. COATES: Yes, trust Wikipedia. Go back. ENTEN: Has my wrong birthday. BASH: Before all of you were born. And she's the president of the White House Correspondents Association and she did all this. And she's done such a good job and I'm really proud of her. So. COATES: Yes, I'm excited to have her roasting. PHILLIP: Yes. And you know what? I think that an "SNL" comedian is like the absolute perfect choice for this dinner because they know how to tell, especially someone who's done "Weekend Update," it's like slightly political but funny. It's just the right mix of things that I think -- I don't want to jinx him honestly. ENTEN: Don't go do that. Be flexibly surprise, right? PHILLIP: I think it could be good. BASH: It's a tough room. PHILLIP: This is the hardest room. I've talked to the comedians who have done this before. It is one of the hardest rooms, period, in all of comedy. COATES: Why is that? PHILLIP: It's our fault. It's because we -- (LAUGHTER) BASH: We don't have a very good sense of humor. PHILLIP: We as journalists -- ENTEN: Speak for yourself. BASH: I do. You do. You do. PHILLIP: If it were just a room full of Harrys it would be a different story. COATES: Life will begin with a room full of Harrys. That'd be nice. ENTEN: That would honestly be one of the scariest things. I was getting return of my own voice earlier and I want to rip my ear off. So the idea of a room full of Harrys is probably the greatest nightmare that could ever be inflicted upon the American public. COATES: OK. But you're a whole television full of Harry right now, we love that. ENTEN: One last thing, you are eyeing matzo before. PHILLIP: Oh, yes, I want some. BASH: I want the other ones, please. ENTEN: You want some? BASH: This is like the Oscars where they all feed you until the end. COATES: I know. BASH: This isn't even open. ENTEN: It's not open. COATES: If this is a swag bag, I'm going to leave. ENTEN: It's a swag bag. BASH: Are you afraid that -- PHILLIP: This right here is my -- (CROSSTALK) ENTEN: I kept it the close for you. BASH: For real? Is this really for me? ENTEN: I kept it for you. It's for you. See I gift people here on the red carpet. BASH: This is amazing. I mean, I really thought you would never give me a gift like this, Harry. ENTEN: Well, let me tell you. I've been admiring you for years. And there we go. BASH: Thank you. Well, thank you. COATES: You want her to carry this in the White House Correspondents Dinner, a box of -- ENTEN: It's better than the food upstairs. COATES: OK. Well, good luck. It's a new thing. PHILLIP: And before I go, similarly to our excitement to see Kelly, I'm also excited to see after this dinner the ascension of Eugene Daniels as the next president of the White House Correspondents' Dinner, which makes a huge amount of history. He's the first black and LGBTQ president ever, period. There have only been, like, a handful of black members on the board in general, so it's a big moment, it's a big night for everyone. We're excited. COATES: A really important point. PHILLIP: And you guys look great. BASH: And you know what, you made it through the entire hit with this straight for you. PHILLIP: Yes, pretty straight. ENTEN: Pretty straight. COATES: Time for fun. ENTEN: Vera Wang, guys. Back to you in the studio. COATES: Vera Wang and matzo. BERMAN: And for those wanting to know what makes this correspondents' dinner different than all others, tonight we reclined at the White House Correspondents' Dinner. There's a joke for a very specific slice in the audience, right there. SIDNER: All right. We're going to go back to the red carpet in just a bit. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) JOST: There was a report that President Biden's campaign ended its January fundraising with $56 million in the bank. Now if he can only remember his ATM code. (END VIDEO CLIP) (COMMERCIAL BREAK) [19:18:17] BERMAN: Welcome back to CNN's special live coverage of the White House Correspondents' Dinner. You're looking at live pictures of the red carpet there. Fabulously dressed people getting their pictures taken. Maybe having the time of their lives. This is the annual event. I would say it is the event of the year in Washington, D.C. where the media and celebrities and politicians and very important people all get together. They dress up and they tell jokes. SIDNER: Yes, I was sitting next to -- when I went that one time when I got invited. BERMAN: You got invited last year. SIDNER: Yes. I was sitting next to Queen Searcy from "Game of Thrones," which I have never seen so that was a little awkward, and Governor Sununu, so the combination of people that are at the table you can find them. BERMAN: Did you confuse them? Did you make like "Game of Thrones" jokes to Governor Sununu? SIDNER: I did. I did, an inappropriate "Game of Thrones" jokes because I don't know what I'm talking about. So -- but she was absolutely lovely. Lena Headey was wonderful. BERMAN: Again, and you're looking at pictures of people at the red carpet right there. We're going to be with you for the entire night. Colin Jost from "Saturday Night Live" is going to be delivering the famed comedian speech, promising to be very funny. President Biden will be speaking. Reporters will be doing things they'll regret at some point as they pose for pictures on the red carpet. Let's get to our very own Laura Coates and Harry Enten who our standing by with some special guests, friends. COATES: We have a very special guest, two in fact. We have Senator John Fetterman and his love wife Gisele. How are you tonight? SEN. JOHN FETTERMAN (D-PA): I'm fantastic. It's great to be here with Gisele. GISELE FETTERMAN, WIFE OF SENATOR JOHN FETTERMAN: I'm happy to be here. COATES: Well, I was just telling the senator that I will be jealous of your outfit soon once I'm tired of wearing this. J. FETTERMAN: Absolutely. I would be happy to. Yes. She didn't -- I wasn't sure she wanted to be seen with -- G. FETTERMAN: No. I wouldn't take a photo with him on the red carpet. [19:20:00] COATES: Oh, no. Now everyone is seeing you're on the red carpet. G. FETTERMAN: I don't know him. J. FETTERMAN: It's glorious. I put this look together for hours. G. FETTERMAN: I mean, he's committed to comfort and I guess there's something to say about that. J. FETTERMAN: Yes. COATES: Well, let me tell you. I want to honor it. You've got a rose, a lapel. You've got a bow tie, you've got almost a cummerbund-esque sort of thing going on. It's comfortable. J. FETTERMAN: Yes. And I'll have to find you after and I'd be happy to donate it over. COATES: I would appreciate this because what -- but your wife can tell you what women want at the end of the night are flat shoes, am I right? G. FETTERMAN: Yes. But we also don't want to look like this. (LAUGHTER) COATES: You know what, I love an honest relationship, Harry. ENTEN: You know, that is a relationship. You guys are relationship goal for me, because, you know, I've been dating a girl now for two years, and now how long have you two been married for or together for? G. FETTERMAN: Too long. COATES: Two years? Too long. J. FETTERMAN: Girl, it's CNN. You can't say that? G. FETTERMAN: Sixteen years. ENTEN: Wow. J. FETTERMAN: Look, I'm tired of being the arm candy. I'm tired about -- COATES: Well, he is the arm candy he says. I told him his better side of course is his wife. But I love because she loves to tell you like it is. J. FETTERMAN: Yes. Well, we like to say -- G. FETTERMAN: I think I've said a lot. COATES: Well, we love honesty in Washington, D.C. and of course your husband often brings that. So obviously I see it's a trait that happens at home as well. J. FETTERMAN: Well, we have three great kids at home and we're delighted to be here tonight. COATES: What are you most looking forward to about the jokes that are going to be told? Because you now in D.C., people take themselves too seriously. G. FETTERMAN: They do. I'm looking forward to like reality TV stars, like "The Valley" and "Vanderpump." That's what I'm here for. J. FETTERMAN: Well, I can't wait to see that my president, you know, Joe, you know, it's always great to see him again. And it's just having a great time here. So, yes. COATES: Well, I tell you Joe will be coming. And Brittany and Jacks are already here, so you will have a little of mixture of reality. And of course, Washington, D.C. Senator, thank you so much. G. FETTERMAN: Thank you. J. FETTERMAN: Thank you. COATES: Well, look, I love it. Look, I've been married a long time. BERMAN: Can we get a look -- COATES: And I get to see my husband the same way. BERMAN: If you can get the senator? COATES: A good look? BERMAN: I don't think we really fully -- SIDNER: We need to see his full outfit. We want to see his whole outfit. We want to see his whole outfit to be -- (CROSSTALK) ENTEN: You know, he's coming back. He's coming back. BERMAN: Can you just pull out so we can get a full -- ENTEN: He's wearing shorts. COATES: Get back. He's got shorts. Get back. There we go. ENTEN: Back out a little bit, you'll see shorts. COATES: Everything. ENTEN: You know, I went to Men's Warehouse, but I should have gone to Fetterman' warehouse because this, my friends, is fashion to the nth degree. COATES: And notice his wife has left the actual screen. ENTEN: Yes. COATES: She's decided I'm out of it, I was OK with the sweatshirt top but now I'm back. I love it. You look good. I'm jealous. ENTEN: Women can only take so much. J. FETTERMAN: I've always had a problem with dress codes and -- but I still shirt up. COATES: Thank you. ENTEN: Thanks, Senator. COATES: You know what, I love somebody goes by beat of their own drum. ENTEN: You know what, as somebody who does that, I respect game. COATES: Yes. ENTEN: I respect game. Senator Fetterman can only be, I can only be me. Sarah and John, you can only be you. BERMAN: That -- I have to say -- SIDNER: That is so poignant so -- BERMAN: To be there for that moment, for that moment in that relationship, to witness I think the love, but also the actual real tension over, you know, disagreement over what one should be wearing. That was wonderful. Harry, Laura, we will talk to you again very, very shortly. That was fantastic. SIDNER: And we have somebody here who can judge outfits really, really, really well, who's on the who's-who list tonight. "Glamour" editor-in-chief Samantha Barry is joining us now. First, I just have to ask you, first of all, about Fetterman. I mean, where would you put that in the ranking of things to wear to a gala? SAMANTHA BARRY, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, GLAMOUR: That is a couple that have gone to two very different events. They got dressed for two very different events there, and it was very enjoyable. I mean, obviously comfort was top of his list, maybe. Maybe not making my best dressed of the night so far I would say. SIDNER: OK. BARRY: But he leaned into his choice. BERMAN: I didn't even know he was wearing -- I should have assumed he was wearing shorts. But, you know, the sweatshirt was one thing and then when we saw the shorts, I think I understood maybe where she was coming from. BARRY: Yes. I know I totally do. It's almost like, you know, it gave me that sense of -- did you ever see Haley Bieber and Justin, her husband, when they go to an event, they look like they're two very different events? SIDNER: Yes. One has got a hoodie on. BARRY: Yes. And the other -- SIDNER: Totally glam dress. BARRY: Yes, glam. SIDNER: But he is who he is, as Harry said. BERMAN: Yes, he is. SIDNER: And he's been criticized, you know, in Congress for this. But you know what, he doesn't give a dang. BERMAN: So let's talk about the people who maybe made a different type of efforts. I don't want to judge here. What have you seen so far? What are you most looking forward to? BARRY: Well, I just think it's such an interesting night. It's a night where you have reality stairs rubbing shoulders with Republican lobbyists. You've got the Hollywood elite sit next to the headline writers and I think the fashion often does make a statement, right? [19:25:02] While people are showing up, and I've seen some great, I hope it's already -- Molly Ringwald is in a beautiful yellow dress from a Vietnamese designer. I know that Colin Jost and his wife Scarlet Johansson are going to be arriving in Armani. Armani is dressing for both of them. And then there's people that may be very conscious on the decision that they make, right? For example, I know that the press secretary is in Bode again for the second year in a row, and that's very consciously because she wanted to support an independent New York designer who's kind of -- as opposed to American fashion dream, right? Emily Bode started in men's wear, won the CAFTA and is now in women's wear. And I think people, what they choose to wear on the carpet often can say something about who they are and what they want to show up like. SIDNER: Truly, speaking of which, Sophia Bush is coming, or there or have probably already come (INAUDIBLE). BARRY: They've arrived. Yes. As a couple. Sophia Bush who's "Glamour" cover style this week. SIDNER: We were talking earlier, and this was a blockbuster, putting her on the cover, how many people are looking at this and why. What is -- I'm going to read it now. "Sophia Bush, I finally feel like I can breathe," and she wrote the article. BARRY: This was her byline. It was like a million minutes in the first day, which is like a record-breaking cover for us. And I think a couple of things. She was coming out as queer. It was in her own words, she is dating Ashlyn Harris, who's now -- who is the U.S. soccer star there on the red carpet as a couple tonight. And I think that that personal story came across a lot for Sophia. And this is one of the big events that they've come together. They're wearing -- both wearing Hobson Studio couture. Again, a young black designer that they've decided to go to in terms of to dress them for tonight. But yes, couples on the carpet is definitely my favorite thing. BERMAN: Couples on the carpet. SIDNER: Yes. BARRY: Couple on the carpet. SIDNER: That should be a segment. BERMAN: Yes. If you see us looking down, we were glancing down at the monitor here to see the people walking in and out. So when you see our eyes go down, that's what we're doing as we pay attention here. It's funny, you know, I come from an era of journalism where most of us wore ill-fitting suits. I mean, comfortable shoes. So it's always funny when I tune it here and see people that I was like on the campaign trail with reporters I was with, you know, and again, who mostly wore things that don't fit and certainly don't match, try to dress up like this. BARRY: They're scrubbing up pretty well, like I think you're seeing a lot and then you've got obviously the peoples are so used to the red carpet. We saw Rachel Brosnahan had arrived, who's a guest at CNN tonight from "Marvelous Mrs. Maisel." She arrived in Bos, which is the big trend on the catwalk this year. Kerry Russell who's in "The Diplomat" also arrived in black. I'm also really interested in what the men showed up in the red carpet. Quest Love came in tonight, I think that was spectacular earlier today. And I think you're seeing more men, including anchors and male broadcasters, maybe taking a bit more of a chance in what they wear. BERMAN: You know. SIDNER: I mean, Fetterman took a chance. BARRY: Yes, yes. That's it. SIDNER: You know? He really made a statement with that, and I know people are going to be talking about that for a while to come. Certainly we will. BERMAN: You know, some people will take a chance, some people wear white sole shoes on TV, and you know. SIDNER: Or tennis shoes. BERMAN: Yes, and they're told they can't do it anymore. I'm just saying sometimes there are different rules for different moments. Samantha Barry, it's great to see you. BARRY: You too. BERMAN: Thank you so much for coming here. Enjoy. We're going to have much more from the red carpet. You've been watching the people coming in and out, it really has been a wonderful thing to see all the smiles there. This is CNN's special live coverage of the White House Correspondents' Dinner. Do not tune away. (COMMERCIAL BREAK) [19:32:19] BERMAN: All right, welcome back. This is CNN's special coverage of the WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENTS' DINNER. You're looking at the red carpet there, a little bit of it, as people get ready to go inside and hear Colin Jost deliver jokes, President Biden deliver jokes, and most importantly, and I say this and I mean it, it is a celebration of the First Amendment. We are thrilled you are watching along with us. SIDNER: And John Berman making jokes, you've already started in, which is fine, which is good. I appreciate it. BERMAN: Well, it is not a joke. I wasn't invited. That's not a joke. It is actually real. SIDNER: What is this? Like the fifth year in a row, you weren't invited? BERMAN: I am rarely invited to the White House Correspondents' Dinner. SIDNER: I am sorry, you know, I am just going to give you my invitation. You can go have a good time. But first I think we are going to Laura Coates who is out on the red carpet with Harry Enten, oh, and two other people that I know. ENTEN: Thank God, Sara. SIDNER: Oh, my gosh. BERMAN: Oh, look at that. COATES: Oh, four other people. SIDNER: Four. COATES: Are you seeing this? Look at this. I'll be Harry Enten's Vanna White. ENTEN: I wanted to be your Vanna White. You took it away from me. COATES: Well, I'll be Vanna Black. ENTEN: She said it, I didn't And we're done. COATES: Oh, I am sorry. Colin Jost is inside. My bad. Okay, here we go. How are you? MANU RAJU, CNN SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi. Doing great. COATES: Manu Raju is not in the hills of Capitol Hill right now. He is here with me. KASIE HUNT, CNN ANCHOR AND CHIEF NATIONAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: He is going to grab that microphone from you and put in your face. RAJU: Yes. Well, and there are also members of Congress here, so it is still possible. We could chase the members down. So there is time. There is still time. COATES: And Kasie Hunt, it is not the crack of dawn and we see you wide-awake. HUNT: I should be in bed actually. I usually am, but you know, it is fun, it is great. COATES: You look good. ENTEN: And hold on. I am going to hang -- I am going to interrupt you right here and get my half of the circle. You get that half -- COATES: Okay, you go get the half. ENTEN: And I will take my half. I am going to go to Oliver Darcy, of course, runs "Reliable Sources." Oliver, my question to you, as a media critic -- OLIVER DARCY, CNN SENIOR MEDIA REPORTER: Oh my goodness. ENTEN: Are we actually doing a good job this evening so far? DARCY: I think you're doing a stellar job, a tremendous job, really. PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN ANCHOR: How much have you watched? DARCY: I watched -- I've been -- I am watching you guys right now, let's just say that. COATES: We don't trust him. In an hour, we are going to hold news about how awful we are. ENTEN: And that's exactly right, Oliver -- HUNT: They have been letting you guys have drinks. COATES: I don't know, what do you notice? ENTEN: A Diet A&W cream soda, that's what they are -- COATES: Cream soda. ENTEN: Cream soda. Yes. COATES: Okay, yes. Cream soda. Cream soda. That's water. HUNT: What year were you born? ENTEN: Oh, we don't tell people what year I am on born and I -- COATES: 1955? ENTEN: Actually, my soul was born in 1927. HUNT: 1927, okay. That seems right. ENTEN: Yes, it seems right. Hold on. Phil Mattingly, who has managed to keep quiet so much so far, except for maybe a little -- MATTINGLY: It's actually -- that's strategic. ENTEN: It's strategic, but we know that -- MATTINGLY: I am thinking about my career. ENTEN: You're thinking about your career or -- COATES: Don't stop over here. ENTEN: You should be over there. RAJU: This is not your mic drop moment. MATTINGLY: Can I turn this on you for a second? ENTEN: Yes. MATTINGLY: And ask you a question? [19:35:08] ENTEN: Yes. MATTINGLY: You guys did an interview? ENTEN: Yes. MATTINGLY: About tonight, and Laura, per usual is like glamorous and amazing and I am like, I want to like be her friend. ENTEN: Yes. MATTINGLY: And you said you didn't own a tuxedo. ENTEN: I don't own a tuxedo. MATTINGLY: I want to know the story behind how you got the tuxedo. ENTEN: Okay. So -- RAJU: And also, who are you wearing first? ENTEN: Right question. So two weeks ago in Northern New Jersey, I went out to the Men's Warehouse and I tried on a tuxedo because I know there was a Men's Warehouse in Washington and I didn't want to have to travel with the tuxedo and I ended up getting to answer Manu's question, Vera Wang, this is a Vera Wang tuxedo. I think it looks very stylish, but I have been told that Vera Wang is not known for her menswear. Is that correct? MATTINGLY: Not the guy really that you should be asking. But do you like the way you look? ENTEN: I guarantee it. COATES: Did they guarantee? RAJU: He acts like he doesn't know. I think he knows it. I think he knows it. COATES: Okay, now, we will ask Oliver again, how are we doing? ENTEN: Oliver? DARCY: You guys are -- I don't want to get in trouble, so you're doing everything, you could do better. ENTEN: I have been fixing here. DARCY: Laura is doing outstanding, but you know, Harry -- COATES: I am a lawyer though, that's why he has to say that. ENTEN: So he is afraid of getting sued in court. COATES: He is afraid of a lawsuit. I don't blame him. MATTINGLY: Besides the four of us, who is the coolest person you've talked to so far? COATES: Da'Vine Joy Randolph. ENTEN: A hundred percent, the nicest person. COATES: An Oscar winner. ENTEN: Fran Drescher. Fran Drescher was also lovely to me. I saw her over there. COATES: Well, I wasn't invited for the Fran Drescher. I would have sung the whole nanny song. ENTEN: I am sorry. She is mine. Guys -- BERMAN: Oh, so noted by the way that Sara Sidner nor John Berman were listed as the coolest people you've spoken to so far tonight, but we appreciate. We appreciate you are there with -- COATES: Oh, shoot. I mean, wait, wait. Sara Sidner and John Berman. ENTEN: Oh, yes, yes. SIDNER: Don't try to do it now. COATES: We are going to get fired. ENTEN: And we were fired ago. SIDNER: It's too late. COATES: Oh, we were fired. ENTEN: Yes. COATES: Never mind. SIDNER: I am sure that Vera Wang is watching and wonders if that might be a knockoff, but that is just me. I am just saying. Don't sue me, but like -- we are going to be right back. We have much, much, much more for you from the red carpet and also, we have a wonderful panel of guests from all over this country and all different kinds of backgrounds. BERMAN: There they are. SIDNER: This is going to be fun. Oh, there they are in all the different shades of the world. I love it. (COMMERCIAL BREAK) [19:41:28 ] BERMAN: All right, welcome back. This is CNN's special live coverage of the White House Correspondents' Dinner. And this is our first look inside the banquet hall itself. This is -- oh, and there it was. SIDNER: Two seconds. BERMAN: There it was. I was going to described in vivid detail what we were seeing -- oh, there it is again. SIDNER: Can you actually see it now to describe it vivid detail. BERMAN: This is the magic of television. It is very far away. I am pretty sure, it is a ballroom inside the Washington Hilton Hotel. Up there is the, I believe we call it a dais with a lectern upfront there. It is from there that we will hear Colin Jost from "Saturday Night Live" speak in a little bit and of course, President Biden will be speaking as well, and it will be interesting to hear what President Biden has to say, what he has to talk about, maybe who he will be speaking about or is it whom? He gave us a preview over the last 24 hours. Listen. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) HOWARD STERN, RADIO SHOW HOST: I don't know if you're going to debate your opponent. JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I am, somewhere, I don't know when I am happy to debate him. DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I just want to say that I've invited Biden to a debate. He can do it anytime he wants including tonight. We are ready where we are. I invite him into the courthouse. (END VIDEO CLIP) SIDNER: All right, our esteemed panel for the evening, Scott Jennings, Van Jones, SE Cupp, Van Lathan, and Cari Champion. All right, they were talking about the debate. Scott, I know you have something to say about what else was said on that little back-and-forth with Howard Stern. Do you think it is going to happen, SE? You're to my left, to the left, to the left, that is where I am going today. S.E. CUPP, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Oh, Beyonce. I am feeling it, yes. SIDNER: Do you think this is going to happen? Because Biden now says, he is ready. CUPP: Listen, Trump has outplayed Biden a little bit on this. Trump has been saying, I'm ready, I'm ready to go. Let's do it. Biden finally said, yes, I'll do it. Now, Trump is saying, well, I am ready to go tonight. Let's do it tonight. Let's do it Monday. Biden is probably going to say, I think I will wait until after the conventions when they are scheduled and Trump is going to say, oh, he is not ready, he needs time to prepare. I could go tonight. And I think Trump knows it is going to be better for him because he will look very energetic, he will look robust. He doesn't have to stick to like facts. He doesn't have to talk about policies. His team doesn't care about that. Biden will want to speak in facts, right and talk about policies so it will be interesting. I think it will happen, but -- I do, but I think Trump is playing a pretty good game right now. BERMAN: Since you went to SE, let me go to the other host of "CNN's Crossfire," who is here with us. CUPP: There you go. VAN JONES, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Figuring your way back. CUPP: Don't forget it. BERMAN: Deep cut. Deep cut. Van Jones, so President Biden will be speaking tonight. How much do you think he can focus on Donald Trump and in what way? There are times when he speaks, he will not say Trump's name. JONES: I think tonight, the funniest topic on Planet Earth is Donald Trump. Donald Trump has given comedians stuff to work with for decades. Biden will, he will do this thing. But look, for me, I am excited about everything, but the Biden of it all. I am excited about Colin Jost. I think a lot -- if you're not a "Saturday Night Live" person, you don't know how funny this guy is. CUPP: Yes.' JONES: This guy is -- CUPP: And smart. JONES: And smart as hell. CUPP: Yes. JONES: So to me, that is -- I am looking for him. I am waiting for him. SIDNER: Scott Jennings. SCOTT JENNINGS, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Yes. SIDNER: Do you think that there is a way to entice voters when you take this podium? A lot of people do watch this, is there something that you could say that they are like, you know what? He is really funny. You know what? I like him. BERMAN: Are you talking about Colin Jost? SIDNER: No, not Colin Jost. He is a good one possibly. BERMAN: We are switching places. We are switching places. [19:45:04] SIDNER: But for the President? JENNINGS: I don't know. I mean, if you snap off a funny joke or two, it will be replayed and people will see it. I am expecting him to scold the press. I mean, that's what he said he was going to do. He told Howard Stern that and there has been reporting this week that he is bothered about "The New York Times" in a way they treat him. SIDNER: Bothered. JENNINGS: And so -- JONES: It's a Friday night. It's a Friday night. SIDNER: Is it a Friday night? JENNINGS: But he does not -- SIDNER: He is already there. JENNINGS: He does not believe the media is sufficiently supportive of him and the Democrats, if you can believe it. He doesn't believe that. So I don't know if he is going to be funny or if he is going to stand up there and scold all of these reporters for not doing their job, which is helping him win a second term. SIDNER: He might do it in a truth in jest situation. He was really funny last year. JENNINGS: Yes, there is no joke -- every joke, there is truth in every joke. SIDNER: There is always truth in jest. JENNINGS: We will see what he does. CUPP: But Scott, who are you wearing? More importantly. JENNINGS: Actually, he has got Vera Wang. I've got Orangutang. That's what I have. And I took a lesser known designer, but Louisville, it is huge. BERMAN: Oh my God. SIDNER: You wear it well. You wear it well, Scott BERMAN: Scott Jennings, bringing it. All right, Van Jones is here also, Van Lathan, Van Morrison waiting in the wings for us there. Almost all the Vans we can book at one time here tonight. CUPP: Almost. BERMAN: Just tell us what -- CUPP: Who is your hat, bud? No, I am kidding. VAN LATHAN, HOST, "THE HIGHER LEARNING PODCAST" ON RINGER: All right, it's Stetson, baby. Look, it used to be that this was kind of like the all-star weekend of politics. You know, everybody was -- but now it is fairly high leverage, right? Joe Biden doesn't have to get up there and prove his platform or his vision. He has to show proof of life and that is like every time he talks -- every time he talks, people want to know if he has the energy and the stamina, if he is with it enough. So this actually an opportunity for him to like, in my opinion, it is not -- he has to prove something to voters anytime he is in front of a mic. So I think, it is a big deal for him. I do. CARI CHAMPION, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Sara, to his point, you started off asking about are we ready for this debate? Will it finally happen? SIDNER: Yes. CHAMPION: I reference another sports reference to Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather. Remember everybody? BERMAN: Yes. SIDNER: All the way, they are fire. Yes. CHAMPION: They wanted that fight, and it was prolonged for so long and then when it finally happened, it really was much ado about nothing, but there was a lot of dancing and I didn't see a real winner, if I am honest, my take. You could say Floyd is the best ever, people will say that they can argue with me back-and-forth, but were talking about, was there a pure knockout? No, there wasn't. That's what I would think would happen if that were to ever happen. SIDNER: The debate. CHAMPION: Yes. CUPP: Yes. CHAMPION: And to your point, he does need to prove that he is smart and quick and that pause was just an accident by the way. By the way, I've read the prompter and also said pause , too. I've read the words. I've read every word. We've all been there. SIDNER: We've all been there. CHAMPION: And I am not taking side, we are like, wait, stop, Good -- good morning. Is that for me? Like it happens often. I am not excusing said behavior, but I agree. Tonight, we are going to see what he has. Are we paying attention? Can he be funny? Will we be entertained? And that's what I think most people will be looking for. SIDNER: I think that was a very good comment. And as my sports sister over there. CHAMPION: Yes. SIDNER: You brought sports into this. I am proud. CHAMPION: Yes, we've got to bring that up. BERMAN: Now, I understand it. Thank you for putting it into terms that I can understand. CHAMPION: I'll give you all the things you need. SIDNER: Thank you, Cari. All right, stick around. Our panel is going to be here with us all night long. We will have more from the red carpet right after this. You're watching CNN's special coverage of the WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENTS' DINNER. (COMMERCIAL BREAK) [19:52:21] BERMAN: All right, welcome back to CNN's special live coverage of the WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENTS' DINNER. We just got word that a short time ago, President Biden did arrive at the Washington Hilton, so all the big guests are there. Let's get right back to the red carpet. Harry Enten is there with this kind of his special crush, who also happens to be a nanny. ENTEN: I don't know if you remember me from last year. I commented on your accent and how I loved her accent, you're the only one that has a thicker accent than I have. FRAN DRESCHER, PRESIDENT, SAG AFTRA: I do remember you. How can I forget a cute guy? ENTEN: Oh my gosh. I feel pretty. Fran Fine loves me. Now, I have to say I was going to the supermarket earlier. I knew that you might come so I brought some treats. Gluten-free matzo. DRESCHER: Yes. ENTEN: And I have regular matzo. DRESCHER: I like lightly salted. The gluten free doesn't taste real to me, it is a nice light cracker, but not the traditional matzo that I am used to. However, I don't really follow any rules. ENTEN: Okay. DRESCHER: You know, over holidays, I use all holidays as an excuse to get together with loved ones and be in gratitude for our blessings. ENTEN: Oh my God. Fran Drescher, not only a hilarious woman, but also one who is profound. DRESCHER: Oh, well, I don't know about that, but I like everything -- I like to turn everything get into a holiday where we can just be together in love and in gratitude. ENTEN: Well, you know what? Fran Drescher, we are together here and every single time I am with you, it is my own special holiday. DRESCHER: And we are in love. ENTEN: Oh my God. This is the greatest thing. My cousin, Dara, I hope you're watching this. This would be amazing. Any event, thank you so much for showing up. Is there anything you want to add? DRESCHER: No, I just -- happy to be here and we will see how they evening goes well. ENTEN: I hope it goes well, too. It is already going well because I once again, got to speak with Fran Drescher. Thank you so much. SIDNER: That was Harry Enten living his absolute best life. He now says he doesn't have to do anything else, he has just met his favorite star. BERMAN: No, and cousin Dara will be so happy. SIDNER: On the other side of the red carpet, Laura Coates standing by with some music royalty, Jermaine Dupri -- Laura. COATES: Oh, my goodness. Look who I have with me everyone. Can you believe, I've got Jermaine Dupri and of course, Dallas Austin, A-Town came represent -- how you guys doing tonight? JERMAINE DUPRI, RAPPER AND SINGER: Good, good, good. DALLAS AUSTIN, RECORD PRODUCER: Amazing. DUPRI: Excited to be here. COATES: It this your first time coming to the White House correspondents' Dinner. AUSTIN: Yes, our very first one. [19:55:04] COATES: Well, I hope it is a lot of fun. There are a lot of things going on outside, but what are you looking forward to? DUPRI: I just -- I just want to just absorb the whole moment. I mean, walking in was pretty exciting, so I can imagine what is going to happen in here. COATES: We don't know what's going to happen inside today, and actually when the comedians start talking, but you know, you're going to have the president of the United States, some of the people here, what are you most looking forward to hearing? AUSTIN: I am mostly looking forward to the roasting we always -- (AUDIO GAP) COATES: I have to clown and you CNN for this moment, I am literally talking to Jermaine Dupri and Dallas Austin and the microphone drops. No, they make the mics drop. This hasn't actually happened. Come closer to me, fellas. Oh my goodness. Okay CNN, look professional. It's CNN. All right, looking forward to the roast. AUSTIN: Looking forward to the roast. I've always seen it on TV, but I've never been able to like be a part of its, so I am looking forward to the entertainment of it all. COATES: I am too, I am looking forward to -- are you dropping more hits soon? What's going on? DUPRI: Of course. I've got the number one record in the country right now, "Money Long" made for me. And you know, me and Dallas, we are working on documentaries and I just dropped the Freaknik documentary. COATES: And I do Uncle Luke. Uncle Luke was great. AUSTIN: That's what I was saying. I am going to say the documentary, you know, we are the agency obviously. We represent Atlanta, which we are really proud about this, we are proud about the documentary and you know, we are here to represent the A for the first time. COATES: I am so happy to have both of you guys here. Have a lot of fun. DUPRI: Thank you. COATES: I can't believe to see them here. Have a great night, gentlemen. DUPRI: Thank you. Thank you. COATES: All right, you take care. Thank you. BERMAN: All right, this is CNN's special live coverage with audio of the White House Correspondents' Dinner. In moments, the president enters the room and the jokes begins. Stay with us. (COMMERCIAL BREAK) [20:00:00] CNN Live Event/Special Aired April 27, 2024 - 20:00 ET THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED. [20:00:58] (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) NARRATOR: They're the journalists who ask the tough questions. But tonight, the tables turn -- JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Are you ready? NARRATOR: -- when the president of the United States roasts reporters. BIDEN: Well, I believe in the First Amendment, not just because my good friend Jimmy Madison wrote it. NARRATOR: President Biden, set to poke fun at himself, the media, and of course, his challenger for a second term. BIDEN: We had a horrible plague, followed by two years of COVID. NARRATOR: Also tonight, jokes from "Saturday Night Live" star Colin Jost. COLIN JOST, COMEDIAN: New York has finally cracking down on crime. Sleepy Joe finally woke the hell up. NARRATOR: Tonight, a celebration of the First Amendment and honoring those on the frontlines of journalism. MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CHIEF GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: A ferocious battle here. CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The scale of the destruction. NARRATOR: Welcome to CNN special live coverage of the White House Correspondents Dinner live from the nation's capital. Now, your hosts, John Berman and Sara Sidner. (END VIDEOTAPE) SARA SIDNER, CNN HOST: Oh, that's us. JOHN BERMAN, CNN HOST: They said our names right. SIDNER: Amazing. BERMAN: Most have been pedantic, spelled out there. SIDNER: Good evening from the nation's capital, where just moments from now, the White House Correspondents Dinner will begin with the arrival of -- President Biden, I think, has arrived, if I am not mistaken, but then he will roast us all and it will be done in turn to him by the special guest. BERMAN: That's right. We have speeches, we have jokes, and we have glamour and, you know, given that this is an election year, everything means a bit more, right? The targets, the punch lines. Let's get right to Harry Enten who was on the red carpet. Harry, what are you seeing? HARRY ENTEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, I got to tell you, meritocracy simply doesn't work because they have me here for the second year in a row, John. What are we seeing? Look, I have Laura Coates next to me last hour. The fact that she had enough of me, she gets to go in and actually enjoy the dinner while I'm here talking with the two of you. But you know, to be honest, it's a bit of an honor. I love talking to the two of you and I know that Mister -- Sara, you know, that I love hanging out with you on the weekends. So this is yet another weekend in which we got the hang out. And I know that Mr. Berman always likes to say that I'm not invited, but the fact is he is invited. He gets -- he's invited to watch the speech on television like the rest of America. They are joining us here this evening. So Berman is an American and, you know, I would just tell you, we've had a load of stars that have come out so far and stars that may not be folks that are in the memory bank of our young ends, but in the memory banks of me. I saw Molly Ringwald? I saw Andrew McCarthy, both part of those brat pack movies in the 1980s that was great. I got to see Fran Drescher, again that we saw -- I saw her last year. And here's the big thing, guys. She actually remembered me. She actually remembered me, which was to me the greatest thing that has ever happened to me on a red carpet of any sort, whether it be this or if I'm ever invited to the Oscars in the future. So that one's going in the memory bank and we've had a slew of CNN folks that have come out and we've spoken with so far. So, you know, I love to get roasted by folks when I'm in the chair, I'm at the wall and everyone else is asking me the questions, but I like to turn the tables once in a while and I was able to ask them the question. So, so far, it's been a wonderful evening. SIDNER: Harry, we're going to turn the tables on you. We're turning the tables on you because somebody who's just slightly a little bit more famous than you just walked and we just saw Colin Jost go to the dias. He is there. Everyone I stood up and clapped for him and I know you're good at telling jokes and you probably wrote some of his jokes potentially. But let's listen. ANNOUNCER: Ladies, and gentlemen, please take your seats. (INAUDIBLE) SIDNER: That was an eventful. BERMAN: Well, no. There's a secretary of homeland security, Alejandro Mayorkas, the recently impeached secretary of homeland security, but not convicted by the U.S. Senate. I mean, look, I'm telling you -- everyone here is laughing. It's true, it happened and he's there at the White House Correspondents Dinner. [20:05:02] And so is Harry Enten, never impeached, never convicted as far as we know. And I will also say, the audience there, the crowd there has been told to take their seats because I do think very shortly, we will see President Biden walk up onto that stage. SIDNER: That is the timing. We are expecting him very, very shortly. And you get to look at this dais here where everybody has to sit for hours and it can be a really good event when you're invited. But poor John. But as you -- as you sit there, there can be some really uncomfortable moments because you have a comedian who has to roast the president or is expected to rose sitting right sitting right next to them. Okay? Who's just walked in there -- BERMAN: That is the vice president of the United States, Kamala Harris, and Doug Emhoff, the second gentleman, they are there together and we saw Kelly O'Donnell, president or White House Correspondent Association right there. You can see everyone enjoying themselves, enjoying the evening there, prime seating up there on the stage. I will say, you know, when you are sitting up there, everyone gets to look at you the entire night, which means they see how much you're laughing, they see how much you might be cringing at some of the jokes as well. So it can be a bit complicated. SIDNER: Everybody's fanning up. I'm going to assume here that we're getting really close. The president must be -- BERMAN: Van's got some observations. VAN JONES, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, they're going to probably do that, the presentation of arms. SIDNER: There it is. JONES: But the thing that you don't get is how big this room is. This broom is like the size of a couple of football field and as awkward as this for people who are up there, it can be very awkward in the room itself because he got a lot of rivals and politicians in another place to talk. ANNOUNCER: Joseph R. Biden and first lady, Dr. Jill Biden. (APPLAUSE) (MUSIC) ANNOUNCER: Ladies and gentlemen, please rise for the nation's colors presented by the joint armed forces color guard, and please remain standing for our national anthem, performed by the U.S. Marine Band. (PRESENTATION OF COLORS) (NATIONAL ANTHEM) (APPLAUSE) [20:11:46] ANNOUNCER: Now, ladies and gentlemen, the president of the White House Correspondents' Association, Kelly O'Donnell. (CHEERS AND APPLAUSE) KELLY O'DONNELL, PRESIDENT, WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENTS' ASSOCIATION: Good evening. Good evening. We're really here. Thank you to The President's Own Marine Corps Band led by drum major, Master Gunnery Sergeant Duane King. Good evening and welcome to a great Washington tradition. What began as a simple dinner for about 50 reporters back in 1921, has grown and grown to this. I need a little help from The President's Own. (BAND PLAYING) O'DONNELL: Thank you, sir. More than 100 years of heritage, we only get dressed up like this once a year, and now you are a part of the story. Welcome to the 2024 White House Correspondents' Dinner. Mr. President, Vice President Harris, Dr. Biden, and Mr. Emhoff, thank you for the gift of your time. This is a complex moment for our nation and a campaign year, with far away conflicts leave many worried, and wondering about the future, understandably so. We know that, is our backdrop tonight. We also know there is value in praising exceptional work and promising student journalists. This event is the primary fundraiser for our association and the scholarships we will highlight. So if you believe in our purpose, we welcome your donations and appreciate your generosity. Master Sergeant, I think we might need a little boost for that. Don't you, sir? (BAND PLAYING) O'DONNELL: That's the call to donate. And let there be laughter. I hope for lots of side splitting, light the internet on fire laughter. Remember the bowl room is filled with newsmakers, politicians of both parties, cabinet secretaries, senior officials, media executives, entertainers, and journalist and more. So the last year you will hear tonight comes from all those different corners. So get ready to roast. The humor is intended to zing and skewer across the political spectrum and aimed at the national media, too. But before we get really going, let me offer some thanks to my employers, Mike Cavanagh, Cesar Conde and NBC News for three decades of adventure, and for your support building to this special night and importantly for giving me the time needed to do this job, to serve as president of the WHCA, which can be -- BERMAN: You were looking at Kelly O'Donnell from NBC News. She is the president of the White House Correspondents Association. [20:15:00] She has done a wonderful job. Yes, she works for someone else, but as long as you're watching it on our network, we're happy about it. Listen, they are doing some of the preliminaries at the event right now. They're going to take a pause. They're going to eat. When the program really gets going, I promise you we will get right back to it. SIDNER: We will and you will hear from Colin Josh. You'll hear all those great jokes because we know he's got in. You also, of course, hear from President Biden. We are going to get now to the red carpet, which we've been looking at. I mean, if there are still people coming in right now, they are for super late. BERMAN: I think be careful who you're talking about right now. SIDNER: Just -- I'm just saying. Harry Enten is standing by on the red carpet. He's been speaking at all manner of folks -- BERMAN: That's why I said be careful. SIDNER: My bad. Hi, Kate. And our Kate Bolduan. KATE BOLDUAN, CNN HOST: Well, hello, meaning you guys here. Harry, we do this every Saturday night. ENTEN: Every Saturday night together, a dream for me. Saturday nights are always a dream. BOLDUAN: Maybe slightly, but obviously, you guys would know that just slightly bit more of a nightmare hanging out with Harry for Saturday night, but still because all you would do would be talking numbers or whether, not -- not a nightmare very much in a dream. If we have the wonderful Rachel Brosnahan with us and collectively, we have decided a very special five things that you need to know about the White House Correspondents Dinner. May I begin? ENTEN: Please? RACHEL BROSNAHAN, ACTRESS: Please? BOLDUAN: Number one, it is not just about celebrities. BROSNAHAN: What? BOLDUAN: It's not -- just to hold on. It's not just about celebrities. It is about celebrating the White House press corps. And you well remember that CNN's own Phil Mattingly won one of the top prizes last year. This year, some of my favorite journalists are receiving awards. Barak Ravid of "Axios", Peter Baker of "The New York Times", and Doug Mills also of "The New York Times". Number two, it is also about scholarship. We raise tons of money for financial assistance for student journalists attending colleges all over the country. And those students journalists get to attend tonight's dinner and its pretty awesome when we get to see them. Would you do the honors for number three? BROSNAHAN: Yeah, nobody eats the food and nobody's told me why yet. BOLDUAN: Accurate. She was trying to eat a piece of bread and I made her -- BROSNAHAN: It was ripped out of my hands. BOLDUAN: I kidnapped her. Okay. Sorry, Rachel. Number four? ENTEN: Well, the food just isn't very good. That's why we don't eat it. Number four, although you said its not about the celebrities, it is actually about the celebrities to a large degree. BROSNAHAN: Thank you very much, thank you. ENTEN: I like to cover it up. We get to meet the coolest folks early, all over the red carpet, whether it be Fran Drescher, whether it'd be Divined, or whether it'd be the lovely Rachel who's standing right here to my right. BROSNAHAN: I'm so glad to learn that it's all about us and not at all about a free and fair press and scholarships, which are important. BOLDUAN: Thank you. Thank you so much, Rachel. And number five, one, last thing you should know is informally, I think lovingly called the nerd prom, but it is its neither prom nor nerdy. It's the press and the president getting together. And I think we should just put it all to -- put it all to bed. No longer nerd prom. BROSNAHAN: Which part was the not nerd part? BOLDUAN: What? Does this because they said it's not about celebrities? BROSNAHAN: Yes. ENTEN: Yes. She's getting back at you. BOLDUAN: Cut her mic. ENTEN: But, John, Sara, my dream has come true with two lovely ladies to my right. Now, I'm going to toss it back to another lovely lady and a wonderful gentleman in the studio. BERMAN: He was talking about us. SIDNER: Oh, sorry, we didn't know who you're talking about, Harry, honestly. But I just want to mention that y'all just got roasted by the celebrity, this is not about, just saying. BERMAN: It was very funny. BOLDUAN: I know -- I mean, I feel like -- I feel I feel attacked but I'm very appreciative. Thank you so much for coming. And the reason I also -- and because I need to know because I was so mean to you, she is her because she's also plays a journalist in "Superman". This is Lois Lane, everyone. You are now in the presence of Lois Lane. BROSNAHAN: Well, thank you. We're midway through shootings so she's not fully birth yet. But we are -- we are in the middle -- ENTEN: She's got Lois but not the lane. BROSNAHAN: That's right. ENTEN: There we go. BOLDUAN: You'll earn the Lane as time goes on. ENTEN: That's right. BOLDUAN: Pulitzer Prize winner in the making Lois Lane. Back to you guys. BERMAN: That is awesome. A, very excited for "Superman". B, I will say I did narrowly avoid a barest bit because I almost wore exactly what Kate is wearing right now, and if we had been wearing the same thing, you would have been it's always -- it's the same thing. SIDNER: Sometimes that happens. BOLDUAN: It would have been offensive. It would look so good on you. You know it. I know it. BERMAN: I appreciate it. BOLDUAN: You love boning. You love boning. And of course it did top. I know you do. SIDNER: Okay. I think we better close this out because -- before his cheeks turned bright red, let's not talk about boning, okay? (LAUGHTER) BERMAN: This is me not reacting in any way just in case (INAUDIBLE) watching, I am not reacting in any way. BOLDUAN: And for the record, for record, everybody out there, John says that to us ten times a day. This is me not reacting -- BERMAN: Ten times a day, this is me not reacting, I hear her say. Kate Bolduan, Harry, and Rachel Brosnahan, thank you so much, the best sport right now in that room. [20:20:01] We really appreciate it. SIDNER: "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" is a fantastic show. She's a trailblazer. That is good. Thank you guys so much. Appreciate it. BERMAN: All right. We are waiting for the president. We are waiting for Colin Jost. We are waiting for help from somewhere. This is CNN special live coverage of -- SIDNER: Go to break. BERMAN: -- the White House Correspondents' Dinner. (COMMERCIAL BREAK) BERMAN: All right. And welcome back to our special live coverage of the White House correspondents dinner. And I can almost guarantee that this next story will be on the joke list tonight. Some people not so sure it's funny. One of Donald Trump's possible running mate contenders made this -- some people would say -- bizarre admission that has a lot of people angry. SIDNER: Okay, here is the backstory. South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem released a new book. "The Guardian" got its hands on a copy and the outlet is flagging a section in which she describes killing her dog named Cricket. [20:25:05] BERMAN: So the easy way to explain what happened here, if you haven't read it, is to read it out loud to you. So we have the main part of the article and we're just going to read it. Okay? So listen in. SIDNER: All right. So it begins here. Cricket was a wire hair pointer about 14 months old, she says, adding that the dog, a female, had a aggressive personality and needed to be trained to be used for hunting pheasant. BERMAN: She includes her story about the ill-fated Cricket, she says, to illustrate her willingness in politics, as well as in South Dakota the life to do anything, quote, difficult, messy, and ugly, end quote, if it simply needs to be done by taking Cricket on a pheasant hunt with older dogs, Noem says, she hoped to calm the young dog down. It began to teach her how to behave. SIDNER: It's such a puppy. All right. Unfortunately, cricket ruined the hunt, she said, going, quote, out of her mind with excitement, chasing all the birds and having the time of her life. Noem describes calling Cricket than using an electronic collar to attempt to bring her under control. Nothing worked. Then on the way home after the hunt as Noem stopped to talk to a local family, Cricket escaped Noem's truck and attacked the family's chickens. BERMAN: So, quote, grabbing one chicken at a time, crunching it to death with one bite, then dropping it to attack another. Cricket, the untrainable dog, Noem writes, behaved like a trained assassin. When Noem finally grabbed Cricket, she says the dog quote, whipped around to bite me. Then as the chickens owner wept, Noem repeatedly apologize, wrote the shook -- wrote the shocked family a check, quote for the price they asked and help them dispose of the carcasses, littering the scene of the crime. SIDNER: OK. Through it all, Noem says Cricket was, quote, the picture of pure joy. I hated that dog, Noem writes. Adding that Cricket had proved herself, quote, untrainable, dangerous to anyone she came in contact with and less than worthless as a hunting dog. BERMAN: So at that moment, Noem says, I realized I had to put her down. Noem, who also represented a state in Congress for eight years, got her gun, then lead Cricket to a gravel pit. It was not a pleasant job, she writes, but it had to be done. And after it was over, I realized another unpleasant job needed to be done. Incredibly, Noem's tail of slaughter is not finished. SIDNER: Her family, she writes, also owned a male goat that was nasty and mean because he had not been castrated. BERMAN: Naturally. SIDNER: Furthermore, as one knows, the goat smell disgusting, musky, rancid, and loved to chase Noem's children, knocking them down and ruining their clothes. BERMAN: Noem decided to kill the unnamed goat, the same way she had just killed Cricket, the dog. But though she dragged him to a gravel pit, the goat jumped as she shot and therefore survive the wound. Noem says she went back to her truck, retrieved another shell, and hurry back to the gravel pit and put him down at that point, Noem writes, she realized a construction crew had watched her killed both animals. The startle workers swiftly got back to work. She writes only for a school bus to arrive and drop-off Noem's children. SIDNER: Kennedy looked around confused. Noem writes of her daughter who asked, hey, where's Cricket? This is not a joke. If you are thinking this is not true, Noem's now defended the scenes in the statements that she made in her own book saying she loves animals, but tough decisions happen all the time on a farm. In fact, she says they recently put down three horses. I don't know how to bring the panel back after that, but I'm going to do it now. We've got S.E. Cupp, Van Lathan, Van Jones, Scott Jennings and our Cari Champion all standing by. I -- journalistically, I know that I need to -- you can't kill a dog or a goat like that. It's insane. Your comments? S.E. CUPP, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: It's not -- its not Old Yeller, that's for sure. Listen, two things. I hunt over dogs. It's a thing. They don't have to be put down if they're not great at hunting. SIDNER: Right. CUPP: There are 1,000 other things you can do with them before you have to kill it for really no good reason. Two, this is a thing that some women politicians do. You remember Joni Ernst talking about castrating pigs when she was coming into the Senate to talk about like rural life, life on the farm, makes them seem a little tough maybe. It's not a thing any of but us need as voters, we don't need to hear about it. Save that trauma for your therapist, ma'am. BERMAN: Cari, I can't -- I can't tell what you're thinking. I see you look on your face and I can't tell what's going on. CARI CHAMPION, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Well, I'm -- I'm a dog owner. I had a dog who recently passed header for 18 years, so I'm just -- I'm at the humanity aspect of it. [20:30:02] I don't know. I have never lived on a farm and believe it or not, I think there are people somewhere in Middle America wherever they live that can understand what she said. I don't know who they are. I can't quite understand that and I don't know why it needs to be documented, but there's this thing where people want to your point, some sort of credibility. I don't know what she felt like that would make her look like or feel like or if people were going to say that this is what I want, someone who knows is no nonsense. It's really disgusting and I think also traumatizing and she writes that the dog behaved like a trained assassin. I said who says -- like didn't you feel -- (CROSSTALK) SIDNER: That is a job to go after the things you're hunting. VAN LATHAN, HOST, "THE HIGHER LEARNING PODCAST" ON THE RINGER: We'd have to be smarter about it. This lady snapped. CHAMPION: But they do this. LATHAN: She went on an animal rampage, killing spree. And it was all across the areas of zoology. She then killed three horses, a goat, and a dog like this. This is troubling. SIDNER: In front of children. LATHAN: In front of children. SIDNER: Her own daughter. LATHAN: A 14 -- where is Cricket? What does it -- God, that's like a Stephen King novel. What are we supposed to make it? It's insane. BERMAN: I'm doing my best. There's two aspect of this, and I absolutely, Cari, understand the aspect as a dog owner, having that visceral reaction as some are describing this. So, that's what she did and people can take that for what it is, judge it as they want. And then there's the decision to write about it write about it, but frankly to brag about it and brag about it because you think you're going to get something out of it. SCOTT JENNINGS, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: First of all, on your screen, he's breathing a sign of relief tonight, the president. He was the worst dog owner in America. We still don't know what happened to Commander, by the way, we have no idea. Now, Kristi Noem is the worst. So congratulations, Joe Biden, you've gone down. SIDNER: We should to jump in and say that, you know, his dogs are attacking people in the White House and bit -- JENNINGS: Biting numerous secret service agents. There's no bad dog, only bad owners. Yeah. Governor Deville has -- I mean, Noem, has a -- (LAUGHTER) JENNINGS: It's cold in the Dakotas, she may have needed a coat, I don't know. SIDNER: Oh, my God. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Cruella. JENNINGS: This is a terrible PR problem, but worse there are two other sort of technical terms. It's psychopath. Nobody shoots a puppy dog like this. I have a puppy right now. The way you communicate to dogs who -- you call them by their full name instead of there -- instead of their first name. So whenever my bulldog Elvis, like when he jumps on the kitchen table, you just got to if I say Elvis J. Bulldoggington III, then he -- he will jump down. I never have contemplated shooting him off of the kitchen table. CUPP: Wild. SIDNER: You can -- you can send them to the pound if you really. I mean, that's -- CHAMPION: Or training. SIDNER: You can train them. (CROSSTALK) SIDNER: Okay. So, Van. Sorry. So Van Jones and Scott, if anybody the table, but, Van, is she still in the running for VP, especially after this? JONES: Look, Lyndon Johnson picked up a beagle by the ears. BERMAN: Yes. SIDNER: Yeah. BERMAN: And soon was out of the presidential race are a number of reasons. Vietnam was one of them, but abusing dogs has a pretty poor track record of advancing political careers. I think she's out. BERMAN: Mitt Romney -- CUPP: Yes. (CROSSTALK) BERMAN: -- talked about how a family road trip they put a dog on the roof in a cage and -- the dog got sick, and it hurt him in the campaign. It actually was a thing where people -- that's a different planet. CUPP: That was ridiculous. You remember, because I was there. You were all there Democrats made Mitt Romney a monster, among other things. He was an animal killer and that was -- (CROSSTALK) CUPP: This is a self -- he was sexist pig. This is self-induced. (CROSSTALK) CUPP: Unforced error, you don't need it. LATHAN: She thought that communicating this to the electorate, that's going to help her. So, what -- JONES: What if it does? JENNINGS: No. Is there not a staffer or consultant anywhere within 100 miles of this governor that's like, hey, I know, I know you love that story. CUPP: Right, don't tell it. JENNINGS: But maybe you don't put it in the book. Is there an editor -- (CROSSTALK) CUPP: And also, stop doing commercials for like dental implants, and other weird stuff. She's on a weird one. SIDNER: We should note that someone did complain and is hoping that she gets charged with animal cruelty. So there is -- there is a complaint out there after reading this because people were so disturbed after seeing the story. And then the very last thing just hearing that her daughter was like, where's Cricket, that hurt me. BERMAN: I wonder if she's trying to get out in front of the story somehow because she thought her daughter would leak to the press. So -- (CROSSTALK) SIDNER: Or those construction workers. CUPP: Construction workers were going to talk. BERMAN: Yeah. SIDNER: Yeah. Nothing else to say. CUPP: But is there a world in which Donald Trump loves this? I would not put past him, but I don't know. JONES: Even Donald Trump, like he has basic political instinct. I think people are starting to pop, and I thought honestly, once you read it, who say, oh, well this makes sense. Every line was more horrifying. (CROSSTALK) LATHAN: Why -- after you've murdered the dog, why would you talk about the fact that your child -- why would you talk about the fact, like it's got worse and worse. (CROSSTALK) CHAMPION: He's like calm down. John's -- BERMAN: No -- CHAMPION: We've done it. BERMAN: We're going to take a break. You know, I think we're probably done with Cricket for now. SIDNER: Well -- CHAMPION: She was -- BERMAN: We will hear more from President Biden in a little bit and Colin Jost, CNN special live coverage of the White House correspondents dinner. (COMMERCIAL BREAK) BERMAN: Welcome back to CNN special live coverage of the White House correspondents dinner. I'm John Berman with Sarah Sidner. We are waiting to hear from President Biden. We're waiting to hear from "Saturday Night Live Weekend Update" anchor Colin Jost. Joining us now is another "SNL" legend, actor and comedian Kevin Nealon. Thank you so much for being with us and joining us to watch the event tonight. KEVIN NEALON, ACTOR & STAND-UP COMEDIAN: Oh, it's so exciting. [20:40:02] I can't wait. Hold on a second. No bad, bad. Put that down. Put that down, Cricket. BERMAN: Oh. NEALON: Sorry. SIDNER: So, you were paying attention. (LAUGHTER) BERMAN: We were all lighting a candle. Kevin, it's great to see you. And you, of course, also were an anchor on weekend update. I have to believe that kind of thing is the perfect training to deliver a roast or a speech like the one that Colin Jost is going to give tonight. NEALON: It's the most training I think you can get for that, but there's never enough training for anything to stand in front of those people and deliver your set. Oh, my God, it is so stressful, John. BERMAN: Why? NEALON: Well, first of all, because I said so. Second of all, because -- because there's so many, you know, people out there that are watching you closely and they're watching to see how the president is laughing at you. When I did it, it was the Clinton administration and they both went off to Africa. I don't know if it was official business or not, but I think is because they knew I was going to be delivering that set and they knew id be roasting them and you know how cutthroat I can be. So I remember I had the flu at the time and I was like, all choked up your nasal stuff and I went out there and just did what I could do. It was and then at the end, Peter Jennings came up to me on the dais below me. He said, don't feel bad. The speakers were out in the back. SIDNER: We're seeing some video of you with a cutout of President Clinton there and on the dias. I wonder, you said it's really, really hard. It's hard to get people to do this? I mean, are comedians like, no, no. We're good. We don't -- we don't want -- this is not something we want to do. NEALON: You know, Sara, it's one of those things where, you really know its going to be a hard job, but you can't say no to it because it's such a high profile place to be. So you see -- you say yes and then you're in it and you got to go through with it. I think Colin will be great at it. I love -- yeah. Colin is fantastic. I love his delivery. He's smart, he's funny, he's clever, and he's always had great jokes. So I'm excited to watch him. BIDEN: What's the target space for you up there because you have to make jokes about the president of the United States who is sitting right there. You've got to make jokes that get very close to that line. If not, put your toe just over it. I mean, is there pressure to be really hard on him? What kind of pressure do you feel in that direction? NEALON: Well, you certainly have to be bipartisan and you certainly do have to poke fun at the president. Also, you have to touch on some of the topical events that are happening in the world. You know, like abortions are very touchy subject right now, and that's one of the big election things people will be talking about. Now, I think the big question about abortion is when does life actually begin? Now what worries me is a lot of people say life begins at 40. Do you understand? SIDNER: Oh, we understand. NEALON: But anyway, that's the kind of thing you have to do you have got to take topics like that and play with it. BERMAN: Yeah. Sometimes -- NEALON: You have a little bit of a delay here -- BERMAN: Sometimes, you try them out first. They don't work. You try something else. It's just the way it is. I think with comedy sometimes. NEALON: That's the problem. That's the problem with doing this event because you don't have a chance to rehearse it. You're going right out there and doing it unless you can get the president to come over to your house and night before and run a few of them in front of them otherwise, no. BERMAN: Kevin Nealon, I have to say, it's an honor to get to speak to you tonight, to speak to someone who's been there, been in this moment, we can really get a much better sense of what it must be like for Colin Jost, who, by the way, has to sit there now in wait for 45 minutes before he gets to go up and tell those jokes, which must only make it more nerve wracking. Kevin Nealon, great to see you. Thank you. NEALON: That's the worst. BERMAN: Thank you for being nicer to Sara and me. I appreciate it. SIDNER: And not making this awkward at all, at all. We're going to go. Thank you so much. We're going to go back to Harry Enten talking -- NEALON: Thanks, guys. SIDNER: -- to more celebrities who are in the room. Stay with us. So there you're also looking at President Biden and Norah O'Donnell there on a dias, oh, Kelly O'Donnell, Kelly O'Donnell. BERMAN: Because I said so. (COMMERCIAL BREAK) [20:48:51] SIDNER: Our special coverage from the White House Correspondents' Dinner continues. We're waiting for President Biden and Collin Jost of "SNL" to speak. But now, our Harry Enten on the red carpet with some pretty familiar faces to you all. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) ENTEN: So I'm here on the red carpet with two of CNN's finest anchors. We've got to my immediate right, Kaitlan Collins, and then to my distant right, Wolf Blitzer. Guys how are you doing this evening? KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN HOST, THE SOURCE: We're lovely. We are so excited to be at the White House Correspondents' Dinner. WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST, THE SITUATION ROOM: We're very happy. I've been to many of these White House Correspondents Dinners and it's always great. COLLINS: Wolf picked me up, and on the way here, I actually asked him how many White House Correspondents' Dinners have you been to? And he said, oh, between 20 and 30. ENTEN: You know, 20 and 30. That's about my age at this particular point. So why do you think? BLITZER: So many of these White House dinners offs and they're all fun. I'm a former White House correspondent. So for me, it's personal. ENTEN: It's personal for Wolf Blitzer, coming to a theater near you. Kaitlan, let me ask you this. Do you ever take off ever because every single time I look on our air, you're always there. COLLINS: I live at CNN actually, I think you've slept at the bureau once or twice, too, right? [20:50:01] ENTEN: I may or may not have had an inflatable mattress that went into certain people's offices from time to time. Maybe we had the same brand. I don't know. Wolf, have you ever slept at CNN? BLITZER: She's a hard-working young girl. I have. In my office, I have a couch, I haven't slept there many times. But once in a while, if they do a late live shot and have to do an early morning live shot, instead of driving home, I'll just stay there, not often. COLLINS: I've modeled my work ethic after Wolf's, which is, his motto is -- BLITZER: When you're young, your work. When you're old, you play golf. COLLINS: And we're both young so we're both working. ENTEN: That's exactly right. Wolf Blitzer, the youngest man at CNN, I believe. In fact, I think the Guinness Book of World Records just awarded you that. BLITZER: CNN's great. I love CNN. We're the Cable News Network. As Ted Turner said to me when he hired me, only 34 years ago, he said, remember, news, NEWS. We're not the cable entertainment network, we're not the cable sports network, we're the cable news network. ENTEN: Wow, guys go enjoy the dinner. Thanks so much for joining me here on the red carpet. BLITZER: Thanks for having us. COLLINS: It's such an important dinner, and, of course, there's a lot of glitz and glamour, but the focus is on the free press and the reporters who covered the White House which as Wolf said, it's personal to the two of us. BLITZER: Kaitlan's a former White House correspondent, too. ENTEN: Fantastic. (END VIDEOTAPE) SIDNER: I mean, Wolf Blitzer is a CNN's great. So take note. Take note. BERMAN: CNN's great right there. But the Nicola and Hill (ph) just say it every time. It's fantastic. We are waiting to hear from President Biden and Colin Jost, they speak any minute. They are what -- you are watching CNN special live coverage of the White House Correspondents' Dinner. Stay with us. (COMMERCIAL BREAK) [20:55:29] SIDNER: And we're back. You're watching special live coverage of the White House Correspondents' Dinner. Harry Enten is on the red carpet now. We have seen the president. He is there. Colin Jost is there. And Harry is on the carpet with another childhood crush. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) ENTEN: What are you doing here this evening? MOLLY RINGWALD, ACTRESS: I was invited. It's an evening that I often watched on television and something I always enjoy. And I'm just really excited to be here to have fun and also to support journalists, and I think it's a really hard job. You know, what journalists do. Yeah. I mean, it is and I feel like journalists need to be protected and supported. So I'm here and supported them. ENTEN: Fantastic. Now, obviously, in the movie in "Pretty in Pink", if I'm remembering my story lines correctly, you did go to a prom. And so this is known as a nerd prom. What is the difference between a nerd prom as this, and a real prom? RINGWALD: I don't know. I didn't actually go to prom because I felt like I had already done it. I filmed "Pretty in Pink" the same year that I graduated. I -- so I felt like id already gone, you know I felt like I had enough. So I don't know -- but I'm really excited to be here for nerd prom. ENTEN: Fantastic. One last question for you. You've been on a lot of red carpets. We have sort of a mini red carpet, sort of going on. RINGWALD: It's red. It works, it works. ENTEN: Does it -- does it - does it count? RINGWALD: I think so. Yeah. It's red and it's a carpet, it counts. ENTEN: There we go, folks. So even if I never go to the Oscars, I can say, I was right near the red carpet with Molly Ringwald. Molly, thank you. RINGWALD: Thank you. (END VIDEOTAPE) SIDNER: Harry's really trying -- BERMAN: Wonderful to hear from Harry -- SIDNER: And Molly. It's -- she's like some of our childhoods were basically mixed up in all of the antics and movies that she did. But Harry's really trying to get to the Oscars. Have you noticed that? BERMAN: I think Harry does. I also want to say, like everyone now wants to go to prom with Molly Ringwald. I think we all want to be the people who go with her to make sure she gets a chance to see it. Coming up, the next hour of President Biden and Colin Jost. We're going to speak live to another person who hosted this event. This is CNN's special live coverage of the White House Correspondents' Dinner. It's going to really get going in just a minute. CNN Live Event/Special Aired April 27, 2024 - 21:00 ET THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED. [21:01:47] (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) NARRATOR: They're the journalists who ask the tough questions. But tonight, the tables turn -- JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Are you ready? NARRATOR: -- when the president of the United States roasts reporters. BIDEN: Well, I believe in the First Amendment, not just because my good friend Jimmy Madison wrote it. NARRATOR: President Biden set to poke fun at himself, the media, and of course, his challenger for a second term. BIDEN: We had a horrible plague, followed by two years of COVID. NARRATOR: Also tonight, jokes from "Saturday Night Live" star Colin Jost. COLIN JOST, COMEDIAN: New York has finally cracking down on crime. Sleepy Joe finally woke the hell up. NARRATOR: Tonight, a celebration of the First Amendment and honoring those on the frontlines of journalism. MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CHIEF GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: A ferocious battle here. CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The scale of the destruction. NARRATOR: Welcome to CNN special live coverage of the White House Correspondents Dinner live from the nation's capital. Now, your hosts, John Berman and Sara Sidner. (END VIDEOTAPE) SARA SIDNER, CNN HOST: Good evening. We are getting close to the roast from the nation's capital, where just moments from now, President Biden, and SNL comedian Colin Jost will roast the media and probably each other. JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Yes. SIDNER: And Washington as a whole. BERMAN: Yeah. Yeah, everyone, everyone, they could get their hands on. We're going to bring it all to you live, all the speeches, all the jokes, all the glamour, and obviously this is an election year. So it all has a deeper meaning in probably a few targets beyond just the obvious. We are here I have to say and I've anchored a few of these, a few of these White House -- SIDNER: How many, John? BERMAN: I can't remember. I think this is like seven or eight. SIDNER: Was it Calvin Coolidge that you started with? BERMAN: I started with Calvin Coolidge, who had a fantastic roast. That's why they call him silent cow. I have to say, this is the best panel, the best group of people that I've ever had in studio with us. And I mean that, I'm actually -- that's 100 percent serious. You guys all brought your A game. Scott Jennings, Van Jones, S.E. Cupp, Van Lathan, and Cari Champion. And, of course, Sara Sidner and John Berman here. We're thrilled to be here. SIDNER: You have to work with me. So I'm just -- BERMAN: I know, we work together every day. So, Scott Jennings, you've got some intel from inside the White House Correspondents' Dinner. SCOTT JENNINGS, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: This is a dinner full of reporters and Hollywood celebrities. So you might think that there are no registered Republicans in there, but there is one, Chris LaCivita, the campaign manager for Donald Trump, is in the room. And I have an image -- he's handing out a card tonight and it says, on the front, anywhere, anytime, any place, President Trump, and then it has another, quote, I'm happy to debate him President Biden. And on the back of the card it says, let's set it up. So the Trump campaign is in the room tonight. And show on a flag and they are really pushing hard on this idea that they want a debate with Joe Biden. You might remember the campaign has asked for the debates to be more numerous and to be earlier in the cycle, which I actually agree with because I think October debates are useless. I think they ought to do them as early as possible when people are still forming opinions about the campaign. S.E. CUPP, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: This is what I was saying earlier. But like Trump is going to lean into, I'm ready. You're not. Let's go now. I'm ready. Anywhere, anytime, any place because he knows Biden probably wants to wait to prepare. He's also presidenting right now. And there's a lot going on. And traditionally, as you said, the debates don't happen until September, October. He's going to wait. But Trump is calling his bluff. [21:05:01] VAN LATHAN, PODCAST HOST: Well, what Biden did was put the whole school on notice. So, now, everybody is going to be waiting at 3:00. They're all in pain. You know what I mean? They want to see it now. So at this point, whether it's later or sooner, he has got to stand there and they exchange energy with President Trump, risky for him to do it. But I think he has to now. SIDNER: Maybe risk for -- Van. VAN JONES, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: I don't think Biden should do it -- SIDNER: Why? JONES: First of all -- well, first of all, Donald Trump has a policy of not debating Republicans. So I think Biden should just say, you don't debate Republicans. Why should I debate Republicans? Donald Trump didn't do any debates in his own party. He just let the kids fight. Biden got the country to run. The last time they debated or second last time, Trump showed up full of COVID, almost killed Chris Christie, screaming me like an idiot. I don't think the country's any better off for that. If I were Biden, maybe debate him one time and get it over with. CUPP: But democracy -- Van, but democracy -- JONES: What's democratic about Donald Trump screaming like an idiot and getting everybody sick the last time? LATHAN: When you think about the demographics that Biden is struggling with, when you think about young African American males or whatever they saying, we're going to cause the Democrats when you think about young Latino males, people that really respond to a certain type of machismo, you said you were going to do it. JONES: Okay. LATHAN: If you curve out now, Donald Trump is going to run on that and for the next -- CARI CHAMPION, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: No, I just don't think that helps him. I don't think there's any upside for Biden in debating and on top of that, will Trump abide by any rules? JONES: Exactly. CHAMPION: Will he listen to anything that has said, here are the rules set forth, please do them and if Biden goes down that line where he's trying to be presidential and abide by rules and have decorum. And then you're trying to -- look, my mom, I said a long time ago, you cant argue with some people because it doesn't make any sense. You can't tell who's crazy or not. So, there's no -- to me, there was no upside at all there. BERMAN: Let me say two things. One, you brought up the debates in 2020, people forget that these two people have debated before a couple of times. It's not like Donald Trump crushed Joe Biden those at all, a lot of people thought -- JENNINGS: The third debate -- JONES: The third debate. CUPP: There were only two. JENNINGS: There were two. They were supposed to be three. BERMAN: One got canceled. (CROSSTALK) CUPP: Yeah. JENNINGS: Biden really, you know what the bad -- Trump in the first one, and then in the third one, Trump came ready. I'm going to take the counter on your idea because I think the people who are most likely to watch it are high propensity voters. BERMAN: Yeah. JENNINGS: These are Joe Biden's voters, the people most likely to watch these debates are the high propensities. They're now -- that's who he is supposed to be appealing to. If I were him, I think I would do it and do it early because he going to look any better six months from now. I would do it early and try to lock that group down, because if he could keep a 5-6 point lead among the most likely voters in hour -- it puts a lot of pressure on Trump to turn out those low or no propensity voters. It's hard to do. BERMAN: One more thing I'll say and it was your old boss, George W. Bush, who used to say this to me. I was on that campaign. I was chasing him around for 18 months. He would always say how much he loved, how low the expectations were for him. CUPP: Yeah. BERMAN: The fact everyone would make fun of George W. Bush and say, oh, that he can't handle this and he's not as smart as Al Gore. And he's like, every time they say that, it's great. Every time they say Al Gore is going to crush me in the debates, it's great. If I walk out on that stage and I'm not drooling and he says this, he says, I'm going -- this is George W. Bush. JONES: I'll beat the expectations. BERMAN: Yeah, I'll beat the expectation. So what's -- there is a little bit of that now. CUPP: Well, yeah. And let me just make one more play for why this is important for democracy. Joe Biden gets knock for not giving enough interviews to the press. It's true. Donald Trump only gives interviews to friends. This is an opportunity for moderators, journalists to ask really important questions that neither of these two people seem to want to answer very often. So it's important. BERMAN: All right, we're going to take a quick break. We are about to see President Biden speak, Colin Jost speak. Right now, the only one hearing President Biden is Kelly O'Donnell, who's head of the White House Correspondents Association. You can see them chatting up on the stand, the dias right now. Shortly American gets to hear all of them. SIDNER: Next -- (COMMERCIAL BREAK) [21:13:02] SIDNER: Yeah, that's us again. We're back. The White House Correspondents' Dinner special coverage. Our next guest house has some experience in taking the podium and roasting the president while in the same room, not awkward at all, or even sitting right next to him. (BEGIN VDIEO CLIP) DARRELL HAMMOND, ACTOR & COMEDIAN: This is a great building. This room reminds me of the grand ballroom from Titanic, which is very comforting because I know if this place start sinking, you folks are getting the good seas. It gives you the distinct get impression that over the last eight years, laughter and rage have become indistinguishable. I just used it a bad word, didn't I? I'm sorry. But, you know, New York, there's 9 million of us on a 12 square mile island. We use the F-word as a comma. (END VIDEO CLIP) SIDNER: SNL alumni and comedian Darrell Hammond is joining us now. He has stood in Colin Yost shoes in 2001. Thank you so much for being here. I have to ask you, did you worry that maybe your life was in danger as you made some of those jokes while the president is sitting there glaring at you? HAMMOND: I think you know, by the time you've finished your dinner, you've become vaguely aware that you're in a room with people who are the most powerful people in the world and really the planet Earth is run by the people in this room, and that's hard to grasp. And then you realize, wait, this is maybe the first audience I played where everybody knows each other and has relationships with each other, you know, and may not want to be seen on camera laughing about a particularly sensitive issue, you know? BERMAN: That is a great take there. So, so right now, you can see President Biden walking behind the dias talking to people their. Colin Jost had to sit up there for an hour and pretend to eat while he knows he's got to do this set soon. What's it like in those moments? What's it like in this pre-game? What's going through your head right now? HAMMOND: I think every time you walk in that place, I've only -- I mean, I only did it three times. Three -- what, three of those dinners in it. It's surreal. There isn't a way to describe it. I mean, that the fact that there's no one from any walk of life that's not there. You know. And all the journalists are there as well. And then I told the joke about I didn't tell a joke. I was trying to get into a joke about women in -- the point is, women would be great officers, that's all -- and I stumbled through it and suddenly the room just went so flat on me. It took a while to dig out of that whole. I mean, these guys are there movers and shakers and sometimes they're not -- they're not happy when they get poked a little bit. BERMAN: Are you -- are you going through your set as you're eating your dinner at that last moment may be doing some editing or adding or, you know, thinking about it? HAMMOND: You've been going off your set -- going over your set since you got off the train that morning, you never really stop thinking about your set. You're having dinner, you're making phone calls, you know, you're having trying to maintain relationships back in New York, but you don't stop thinking about those words. It's only 15-minute set, right? SIDNER: I hate to put you to work. HAMMOND: So, if you do step -- yeah, if you step into a gopher hole, you may not -- you may not like when I did, I never really recovered because it's only 15 minutes set. So, I was four or five minutes in, got in trouble and struggle the rest of the time. That was my second appearance. SIDNER: But they keep inviting you back. So, I mean, obviously, you're not doing that bad of a job. I do want to ask you if there's anything you would not touch if you think that there is a third rail that you would not touch as a community with all of the things that are going on in this country, and the world. They touch on everything usually. HAMMOND: My feeling is the closer you get to the line of distasteful, the funny are you really are. And you've got it, you've got to take a chance once in awhile. You don't want to impugn someone's character. You don't want to talk about their toupee. You don't want to unless, for some reason it was in the news recently. You'd like to keep it on the level of a locker room, towel snap. Like they used to joke about Bob -- Bob Hope's got -- would joke about Reagan's golf swing that. That -- but Colin is from Saturday Night Live and they dig a little deeper. He's had a lot of experience around these people and poking fun of these people and maintaining relationships with these people. And they really has a great instinct of just how far you can go, you know? And if he steps over the line, he'll tap dance for half a second and he'll be right back on. SIDNER: Those tend to get the biggest laughs, let's be honest, if you look out in the crowd when someone steps at those get the biggest laugh. So you are right. Darrell Hammond, thank you so much for joining us. That was wonderful. And maybe they'll ask you back next year, or not. BERMAN: Darrell is dealing -- he was dealing with some strep throat, too, Darrell Hammond was. Good sport coming on tonight and talking to us fight and through to talk to the American people, we really appreciate it, Darrell. And as we wait on the president's remarks, we are keeping an eye outside of the event as well. There have been some protests gathering. Stay with CNN. This is our special live coverage. (COMMERCIAL BREAK) [21:22:14] SIDNER: All right. These are live pictures outside the White House Correspondents' Dinner that we are giving special coverage to. These are pro-Palestinian protesters. We know that the motorcade, when they were coming up drove past these protesters as well. You could turn out to be a topic tonight, potentially. BERMAN: Absolutely. Look, this is what's going on in different places all across the country right now. Certainly, the president is aware of that. And Colin Jost is aware of that. Every one of the room is aware of that. I will also say, since this is a celebration of press freedom around the world, I'm sure it's also a celebration at a time to honor the journalists who are putting their lives on the line to cover all the events of the world, and then that means conflicts, and that means what's happening in the Middle East right now, to be sure. Now, you're looking at live pictures from inside the venue. We are told the program itself will kick off very shortly. They're going to be some videos. They're almost always are that are funny-ish. SIDNER: Yeah. BERMAN: They're on the funny spectrum. SIDNER: Yes. BERMAN: At some point and then some of them are very, very funny. We'll wait and see this year then we will, of course hear from Colin Jost, we will hear from President Biden as well, and we are here with our all-star panel, the best White House Correspondents' Dinner panel in my mind, there has ever been -- and I was thinking there should be some last second predictions. We're just a few minutes away from one that's all starts out. So just make some predictions. S.E. Cupp, you start and what we're going to say. SIDNER: Wow. CUPP: Well, I predict Colin Yost is going to be one of the best hosts ever. He's got the right combination. First, it's important he knows people in this room. When you're kind of a stranger to these people, it's real hard to like build the trust you need to make really, really cutting joke. He's funny, he's smart, he does this for a living. I think he's going to be great. SIDNER: Van Lathan, you are staring down the pipe. You are staring at every detail. What's your take? LATHAN: I think this is the beginning of Joe Biden's thunderbolt roast era. And you guys don't follow this -- BERMAN: Thunderbolt roast (ph). (CROSSTALK) LATHAN: Here we go, here we go. But venerable leader, the energy that taken control of veins is going to start tonight. SIDNER: So, it's a compliment. LATHAN: Thunderbolt roast, Thunderbolt roast, little anti-Biden, anti- hero Biden begins tonight. CHAMPION: I think a lot of people -- I talked to some people on yesterday and so people have worked obviously, which with the core and they have said that this is probably, this could be a certain way to look at an outgoing administration and a new administration coming in, if in fact Trump were to win. And they said they're looking for what it could feel like tonight. And remember it as it was. And as an end, perhaps see what will happen next. So I think Trump -- excuse me. I think Biden will not necessarily be who you think he'll be. LATHAN: You said it's going to be a eulogy. CHAMPION: I think that I -- I'm not saying is going to be a eulogy. Come on. Whose (ph) life is yours, whose life is yours. [21:25:05] But I think it will be a little more tame than we think. SIDNER: Van, like you're saying that you're going to see Dark Brandon. That's what I'm getting -- that's what I'm taking out. BERMAN: The cheering from over here, at the Marvel comics reference. CUPP: Talk about a nerd prom. JONES: I echo my fellow, we have we have 10 percent of all the Black -- CHAMPION: My fellow Van. JONES: Ten percent of all the Black Vans on -- (LAUGHTER) JONES: But look, I think I think that he's going to -- always has to show, and you were saying earlier, people expectations are low for Joe Biden. So he's going to going to show that energy. I think he's going to be very, very funny. But Colin -- we'll be talking about Colin Jost tomorrow morning. He's going to kill this tonight. CUPP: Yeah. JENNINGS: I want to hear him issue and unequivocal demand for the release of Evan Gershkovich. I want to hear -- I want to hear him issue an unequivocal demand to Hamas to release the hostages, right now, no questions asked. And when he gives his platitudes about the First Amendment, I want to hear him say, and I'm going to back it up by giving you all in this room more access to the president of the United States during this presidential campaign that I have for the last three-and-a-half years. If he did those three things to me, it'd be a good night for the people in this industry. SIDNER: Last year, he did bring up Evan and he brought up Austin Tice as well, who is still missing in Syria and being held captive. So we will wait to see what happens. But I know a lot of people are there to see Colin Jost and see what he does, and also perhaps his wife, I'm just saying. (CROSSTALK) BERMAN: I could tell you that I was invited to this to the White House Correspondents' Dinner, but I was invited to a party last night and for a significant amount of time, I was very near both Colin Jost and Scarlett Johansson. That's the whole story. I stood -- I stood near them. CHAMPION: John, were you at party? Was okay until you guys were elbows, did you talk to her to her? BERMAN: There was no talking. We didn't communicate verbally. CHAMPION: But mentally, you guys have -- BERMAN: I don't know what she felt, but I was there -- I was there -- (CROSSTALK) SIDNER: Three sixty, baby, 360. BERMAN: That's a back reference to the last hour of CNN special live coverage of the White House Correspondents' Dinner, and a style dress of that includes some bone structure like that, just that people know what were talking about here. But I -- so Colin Jost and Scarlett Johansson were at this party. They're communicating. And as you said, they both knew a lot of people in the room. CUPP: Yes. And additionally, I was at the same party. Colin Jost was -- also had his brother there and his father there. It's a family affair. They're all in town, I think because this is a big night for a comedian. It's a big night for anyone. I'm excited for him. SIDNER: I think he's already won all the awards from his SNL work, but also -- CUPP: And Scarlet Johansson. SIDNER: And his wife. BERMAN: It's Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar, right there working the room. SIDNER: Working the room. BERMAN: Working the room right there, talking whoever she can. SIDNER: In just a bit, we're going to see the videos that are cute. BERMAN: Yep. They might not be laughed out loud, funny, but they border on. We always hold out hope. Now, we do know Kayla Tausche was reporting that president Biden has been working on this speech with Jeffrey Katzenberg. Is that what she reported that Jeffrey Katzenberg -- CUPP: Wow. BERMAN: I know. Speechwriter of Hollywood. Yeah, it's producing help there. JONES: This whole thing, like in-between is always weird because your people there -- SIDNER: You mean awkward? JONES: Awkward, awkward.com. SIDNER: To be fair. JONES: Because your knees a little tables, you can't really move, if you get sat next to as you often are someone you hate -- CHAMPION: What do you mean by that? (CROSSTALK) SIDNER: Van, one of the nice things is bumping to people like John Legend, name dropping. That's what happened to me. I literally bumped into him. He probably thought I was a staffer, but I wasn't, sort of nice. Oh, I think we're starting to videos. Let's listen in. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: Gathered to toast free speech of the White House Correspondents Dinner. ABBY PHILLIP, CNN HOST: We have awards, scholarships, and laughs coming your way. CRAIGH MELVIN, NBC HOST: It's Saturday night and Colin Jost is not in New York. SAVANNAH GUTHRIE, NBC HOST: Get ready to laugh, everyone. The show is about to start. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This star-studded celebration of the First Amendment. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A room full of the most prestigious names in Washington. GAYLE KING, CBS NEWS: All in our places, bright, shiny faces, people find your seats. WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: You're in situation ballroom. KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN HOST: We're starting on time tonight. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Please shut up. NORAH O'DONNELL, CBS ANCHOR: Don't make me get the 60 minutes stopwatch. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're going to bring it down. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: To find your seats and enjoy the show. JONATHAN KARL, ABC NEWS: What is going on it? This dinner is about get started. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're not being paid by the work. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You've been told to take your seats. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And you failed miserably. [21:30:01] KING: Just be quiet. MELVIN: Quiet. BLITZER: Shhh. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And we keep it down, everyone. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Be quiet. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Silence, everybody. DANA BASH, CNN HOST: Is there a volume button somewhere in here? UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, shut the (EXPLETIVE DELETED) up. KARL: Quiet. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Silence, everybody. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Zip it. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Zip it. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do I have to come down there? UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, shut up. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The White House Correspondents' Dinner. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The White House Correspondents' dinner. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The White House Correspondents' Dinner. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The White House Correspondents' Dinner. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Begins in -- UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ten. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Nine. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Eight. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Seven. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Six. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Five. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Four. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Three. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Two. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Let's go! (ENND VIDEOTAPE) ANNOUNCER: Live for Washington, D.C, is the White House Correspondents Dinner with special appearances by Eugene Daniels, Lester Holt, Steve Kornacki, Scott McFarlane, Karen Travers, Kristen Welker, the Impressionist, that Friend, the President of the United States and, tonight's headliner, Colin Jost. Now, here's your White House Correspondents Association president, Kelly O'Donnell. KELLY O'DONNELL, WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENTS' ASSOCIATION: Now, we've got your attention. That was a lot of fun and you see how lucky I am to have so many friends with big personalities who were willing to be a little silly to help us kick things off tonight. Thank you to all of them who said yes when I called all the networks. Thank you, friends, for turning up for that. Mr. President, Vice President Harris, Dr. Biden, and Mr. Emhoff, we welcome you as we celebrate freedoms that are both enduring and repeatedly tested. Your presence here speaks clearly and loudly about the essential connection between a free press, freedom of speech, and the democracy we value. (APPLAUSE) Tonight, we will honor excellence. We will look to the future with support for our student scholars, but we know that, eyes are wide open here, we come together for this grand evening in tumultuous times, with crises and conflicts all around us. There's no mistaking that. We also know that life has many dimensions, including time to celebrate and time to laugh. So many of you have reached out to me to say how excited you are to see Colin Jost as our entertainer. Let me be honest with you, when your dream choice to headline this event and this crowd says, yes, that is a good day. That is a good day. Thank you, Colin, for being here. And I know Colin cares about history and things about history like so many of us in the White House Correspondents' Association and I don't mean dusty books in the library. I learned a lot about Washington from me hearing laughter on Saturday nights when I was growing up in Ohio, and that showed me humor could take on serious subjects and leave us feeling a little lighter. So I ask Colin and our friends at "Saturday Night Live" to open up the time capsule, nearly 50 years of political humor to take us on a fun and funny ride. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ladies and gentlemen, the president of the United States. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No problem. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Don't want to be here, here, here and here. That got a dot, not got dot. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I will do this. I will do this. I will do them both together. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One thing about being leader has to make some very tough decisions that's why I'm going with the Chimichanga. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are almost out of time. So I will ask each candidate to sum up in a single the word, the best argument for his candidacy. Governor Bush? UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Strategery. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Vice President Gore. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Lockbox. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh my God, what happened? UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You made Barack Obama angry. And when you make Barack Obama angry, he turns into the Rock Obama. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, everybody, it's me, your VP Joe Biden. And I'm inviting you all to join me this Monday, the Biden bash. Do you think you can jump higher than me? Well, now you can find out in a game I call. Do you think you can jump higher than me and be sure to join me for my kung fu exhibition. Biden time, oh.. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yeah, "Wall Street Journal". Are you okay? UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You know something Mr. Cohen, I've never even heard of you. [21:35:03] UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Your mother has. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I can't believe all this mess happened and I will be caused of an app. I've an idea for an app is called no apps. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Senator Mitch McConnell seen here being told a Black woman made a country album has come out in favor of a bill that would potentially ban TikTok in the U.S. Of course, for McConnell, TikTok is just what the Grim Reaper says while tapping his watch. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You know, Jesus did some incredible things, somewhat golden miracles, in terms of fish, and with regard to bread. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is my speech, there are others like it but this is mind, I wrote it myself last night while screaming into an empty bag of Doritos. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And we're going to go in there. Were going to get our poll watchers so close, we're going to get this close, this is legally close, not fun fact, that' your poll watchers ought to be. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you. We get back to the Capitol and resume the vote. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Allow DoorDash, it's Chuck Schumer. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: New York Congressman George Santos seen here at a promo called pawnshop reality show, was indicted on federal charges including conspiracy, wire fraud and identity theft. He's also indicted for a reckless homicide when that button shot off his jacket and killed a bystander. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This entire country has been bullying me just because I'm a proud gay thief. What else is new? America hates to see a Latino queen woman. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You see, I'm not just a senator, I'm a wife, a mother, and the craziest bitch in the Target parking lot. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: House Speaker Mike Johnson said that he is blurring the faces on the footage of January 6, rioters, so that none of them would be charged with a crime. So unfortunately, we'll never know who they are. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a terrible time for our country. I am standing weirder than ever. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I just counted a Celsius. Let's do this. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And remember, we may be from different eras but at the end of the day, we're vote Joe freaking Biden, and live from New York, its Saturday night. (END VIDEOTAPE) O'DONNELL: We are alive and our dateline is Washington. Thank you, Lorne Michaels, Colin, and the "SNL" team. Now to our first bit of business. Fifty years of "SNL", we can applaud for a moment. That was my whole life flashing go for my eyes of watching all of that. We begin with our business of the awards tonight and we honor excellence not only to recognize the superb reporting writing and photography, but to inspire more great work from so many of you when true facts, real accountability, and well-reported insights are so vital. I turn to a newsman I first met when I was a college intern and he was a local news anchor in Chicago. That means I've admired him for a long time. Please welcome the anchor and managing editor of "NBC Nightly News", Lester Holt. LESTER HOLT, ANCHOR, NBC NIGHTLY NEWS: Thank you. And, Kelly, I'm so proud to be your colleague. What an amazing night this is. Thank you for everything you and the team have done. Each year, a panel of independent judges reviews dozens of entries for the five major WHCA journalism awards. It's my honor to announce this years winners. The Aldo Beckman award for overall excellence and White House coverage name for a former association president, the late "Chicago Tribune" correspondent, Aldo Beckman, goes to Barak Ravid of "Axios". The judges said Barak Ravid's reporting displayed deep, almost intimate levels of sourcing and the United States and abroad that produce stories closely aligned to the events that subsequently transpire. His stories put the reader into the room as decisions were being made in the tumultuous aftermath half of the October 7 Hamas-led raids on Israel. Ladies and gentlemen, the WHCA is pleased to give the Aldo Beckman Award to Barak Ravid. (APPLAUSE) [21:40:18] HOLT: The WHCA gives out two awards for reporting under deadline pressure, one for print, another for broadcast. Each includes a prize of $2,500. This year's print winner is Peter Baker of "The New York Times". The judges said Baker's coverage of President Joe Biden's visit to Israel just days after the October 7 attacks filed on deadline from Tel Aviv combined a comprehensive recounting of that whirlwind trip with expert reporters driven analysis of the presidents messaging and priorities during a fraught moment. He carefully selected observations of public events paired with well-sourced reporting of behind the scenes detail, smartly summarize the emotional crosscurrents, diplomatic chaos, and other challenges surrounding the journey. His story not only helped advance understanding of the latest developments in a fast moving situation in real time, it included a sensitive assessment of the underlying dynamics and historic context allowed it to stand as a definitive written recount of the day. Despite being filed on deadline. Please welcome the winner of the deadline award for print, Peter Baker. (APPLAUSE) HOLT: All right. Now, the broadcast award for excellence under deadline pressure. This year's winner is Tamara Keith, NPR. (APPLAUSE) HOLT: It goes to last year's WHCA president for her work on the president's trip to Israel. The judge's said her gripping audio report expertly took listeners behind the scenes on the 31-hour trip to Tel Aviv, preparing her audience for the president's statement to America later that night. Sound rich and textured and written on Air Force One. While in route back to the United States, Keith's story lays out President Biden's thinking and brings listeners in on the trip along with her and onto Air Force One to hear the president himself announced breaking news. And Keith's quick work as part of the White House press pool to share her audio. Also speaks volumes of her professionalism. And if her dedication not only to her employer NPR, but also to her colleagues at the White House Correspondents Association and to Washington journalism. The WHCA is pleased to honor the deadline reporting of NPR's Tamara Keith. (APPLAUSE) HOLT: Now be award for excellence in presidential news coverage by visual journalists. This award recognizes a video or photojournalists for uniquely covering the presidency from a journalistic standpoint either with the White House or in the field. This could be breaking news, a scheduled event, or feature coverage. It includes a prize of $2,500. This year's award goes to Doug Mills of "The New York Times" for this photo of President Biden boarding Air Force One in Warsaw for the journey back to Washington, D.C. after meetings and speeches about the war in Ukraine. The judges praise the photo for showcasing three key elements, action composition, and feeling. They each also viewed the picture differently, agreeing that whether the picture is foreboding or optimistic, the interpretation is left to the viewer. Of the impressive batch of visual entries they said this photograph best capture the news making year. Please join me in congratulating "New York Times" photographer Doug Mills. (APPLAUSE) [21:45:31] HOLT: The Collier Prize for state government accountability is presented by the University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications. This is the fifth year we have presented this prize at the dinner, and it comes with a check for $25,000. This years award goes to a collaboration between the "Texas Tribune", "ProPublica", and "Frontline" reporting on the tragic mishandling of the active shooter situation at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, on May 14th, 2022. (APPLAUSE) Titled unprepared, it is comprised of a series of newspaper articles and a "Frontline" documentary, the meticulously researched report explains why Robb Elementary School students and teachers remains barricaded in a classroom for 77 minutes. With a gunman, while more than 100 police and military officers scrambled to find radios, flash bang, shields, and even the key to unlock the classroom. Investigators later surmise the classroom might even have been opened during the entire siege. For more than a year, Lomi Kriel, an investigative reporter with the Texas Tribune and ProPublica led a team of reporters who examine video footage from two dozen body cams and hundreds of hours of interviews with 150 law enforcement officers to untangle the actions and inactions that led to the deaths of 21 people, including 19 children. Kriel and colleagues, Lexi Churchill, Jinitzail Hernandez, Jessica Priest, Perla Trevizo,and Zach Despart contributed to the series. Juanita Ceballos wrote and directed the "Frontline" documentary. One of the judges said it was a standout investigation into the missteps of law enforcement during one of the most horrific school shootings in recent U.S. history. The accompanying frontline documentary was especially strong, using officer bodycam footage and recording debriefings with officers to take viewers inside the investigation of what went wrong and why those entrusted to protect children and teachers failed to act until it was too late to save some of the victims. Here to accept the award are Lomi Kriel, Lexi Churchill and Zach Despart. (APPLAUSE) HOLT: And now, the Katharine Graham Award for Courage and Accountability. It is, of course, named in honor of a legendary "Washington Post" publisher. And this year, it goes to the newspaper she helmed. The judges said "The Washington Post" shows courage, sensitivity, and originality in breaking with journalism, industry norms to inform and show readers how the AR-15 weapon inflicts horrific damaged to the human body. "The Post" was transparent about its reporting methodology and courageous and publishing graphic images of victims of mass shootings, including children, and the after effects on survivors and families. It handled this sensitive subject well with prominent warnings to readers that the images may be disturbing and conversations with the families of the victims ahead of publication about the papers methodology, and intentions. "The Post's" executive editor Sally Buzbee also published a lengthy explanation outlining the newspapers choices. She acted with sensitivity toward the victims and the survivors and elevated our nation's important national conversation about gun safety, gun ownership rights and the tragic blast effects of the AR-15. [21:50:07] "The Post's" decision to publish the story exemplifies the journalism, courage, and skill that Katharine Graham exhibited regularly under her leadership. Please welcome the winners of the Katharine Graham Award from "The Washington Post", Nick Kirkpatrick (ph), Sylvia Foster Frau (ph), Todd Frankel (ph), and Peter Walton (ph). (APPLAUSE) HOLT: Let's hear it one more time for all of this year's winners. BERMAN: All right. You're watching CNN's special live coverage of the White House Correspondents' Dinner. We're going to take a quick break. Colin Jost and President Biden coming up shortly. (COMMERCIAL BREAK) [21:55:25] SIDNER: All right. You're watching a special coverage of the White House Correspondents' Dinner. We are expecting to hear from President Biden and Colin Jost very shortly here. Let's listen in. KAREN TRAVERS, WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT, ABC NEWS: -- two African- American women of the White House press corps, Alice Dunnigan and Ethel Payne. Their toughness covering President Truman broke barriers, their sheer determination compelled President Eisenhower to take their questions. Rodney Baton (ph) and Ed Lewis (ph) build their reputations through hard work. Their big personalities made them well known and very well- liked across the entire White House press corps. We asked Rodney and Ed to reflect on their long incredible careers at the White House. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was stunned. I just couldn't believe it, and this is a great honor. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I really am honored. Very flattered. I shed a few tears, too. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How many people can come in here every day and be this close to the president United States, the leader of the free world. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Born and raised in Washington, D.C. I spent many years riding by this building. And I will always ride by and looking, wonder if I could ever worked there. And that dream came true, being around presidents gave a sense of pride, honor, hard work that I've put in because the world is waiting for the video that Rodney and I shot. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Been traveled to, which we both done, its probably critical of covering the White House, particularly abroad because we are representing the press corps of the United States. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I have the honor of covering the night that U.S. had the bin Laden situation. I was called in, and we just shocked to see what going on, but we knew that there was something big and we had to get to work fast. This job requires teamwork. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I've been here a little bit longer than Ed, so a lot has changed and a lot -- I mean, to be witnessed to that it's just incredible. When Obama became president and I was sitting up behind rack and I just I lost it. This country head elected from -- a man who's Black. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When I first got that call telling you talked about the two African-American women whose award is named after, I thought about what they -- what they endured during that time, and I was very proud of that. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I like to think that I came here every day, did what I what was expected of me. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I really admired the change that the -- that the White House correspondents took, in making sure that people of color, other nations, ethnic groups also had access to this press environment because this is a center, okay. Will you go you might think, but this is a center of the press of the United States. You make it in here, you've arrived. (END VIDEOTAPE) (APPLAUSE) TRAVERS: I am delighted to present the Dunnigan-Payne Prize for lifetime career achievement to Edouard Louis congratulations, Ed. And Rodney couldn't be here tonight. He is on a very special trip, but accepting on his behalf, is his son, James. (APPLAUSE) CNN Live Event/Special Aired April 27, 2024 - 22:00 ET THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED. (COMMERCIAL BREAK) [22:00:00] KAREN TRAVERS, WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT, ABC NEWS: That's earned, ladies and gentlemen. That's earned. Once again, congratulations to Ed and Rodney, and thank you all very much. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: For decades of correspondence dinners, presidents have peacefully, yet comically, jabbed their political rivals and detractors. In 2011, Barack Obama roasted a private citizen. BARACK OBAMA, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: Donald Trump is here tonight. Obviously, we all know about your credentials and breadth of experience. For example -- no, seriously, just recently, in an episode of "Celebrity Apprentice," at the steakhouse, the men's cooking team did not impress the judges from Omaha Steaks. And there was a lot of blame to go around, but you, Mr. Trump, recognized that the real problem was a lack of leadership. And so, ultimately, you didn't blame Little John or Meatloaf, you fired Gary Busey. And these are the kind of decisions that would keep me up at night. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What was Donald Trump thinking? Would he recover from this? Tonight, your answer. MATT FRIEND, COMEDIAN: Well, I will tell you it is really a tremendous opportunity to be at the most failed dinner anybody's ever seen. Great to see you, losers. A lot of people say that. Hello, everybody. Why is it so quiet? What's happening? It's quieter than Sleepy Joe. Hello, Joe. How are you? Great to see you. We're going to debate, right? That's what they're saying. There's a lot of stars here. There's a lot of great people. There's Scarlett Johannesburg (ph). Scarlett is here from "Black Widow." I love the blacks. I really love the blacks. It's true. You have a lot of people that could potentially be a vice president. You have Lara Trump, who's a lot better than Ronna McDonald. Who's who doesn't love Ronna McDonald, right? I'm loving it. Who like -- you like a happy meal, right? You like that. But I will tell you this dinner -- you're so tight. It's so uptight, right? This dinner is sadder than Taylor Swift's new album, the tortured president's department, right? He's -- look at him with a white tuxedo. He doesn't like me too much, right? But I will tell you the Chinese apps are being banned. It's horrible. We have to post our David Peckers on Snapchat now. That's what they're saying. Let's face it, folks. I'm on fire right now. Like the guy outside the courthouse, right? Not soon enough. Not soon enough. But I will tell you, I am killing this dinner harder than Kristi Noem kills the puppies. Moving on, please. Even Bernie has something to say. Mr. Trump, you have no idea what the ordinary experiences everyday Americans are. I am concerned with battling the ruthless dictators like Vladimir Putin. Can we all agree on that? Can we all agree? Even Mitch would agree with that right now. Mitch? Well, let me begin by stating what a privilege it is to be at this dinner celebrating ordinary Americans and African-Americans. Scoobity doo. And let me toss it to Barack to close it out. Everybody, D.C., you've been a lot of fun. And I have to close it out by saying, when I was on the campaign trail in 2008, I led a chant with the crowd, and I would say, you're fired up. The crowd would say, I'm ready to go. So, you have a long show. Are you fired up? You're fired up? I'm ready to go. Goodnight, guys. Back to Kelly. Thank you so much. Goodnight. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. President. KELLY O'DONNELL, PRESIDENT, WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENTS' ASSOCIATION: Talk about making an impression. You have just seen a man of more than 200 voices who can capture the essence of anyone. So, please give it up for Matt Friend. Thank you, Matt. Putting this evening together is just one part, one important part of being president of our association. I'm happy to welcome a good friend who will succeed me later this summer. And we promise a peaceful transition. Please welcome from Politico, Eugene Daniels. EUGENE DANIELS, WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT, POLITICO: Good evening, good evening. And now, for the best part of the evening, the scholarship students. Don't worry, Mr. President, Colin, I'm sure people are looking forward to hearing from you as well. [22:05:00] The WHCA history spans 110 years, but we are also very focused on the future and young journalists who aspire to report on government, politics, and the White House themselves one day. In 1991, our association began this commitment to give back and, most importantly, lift up promising students. Not only financial help, but WHCA mentors make a yearlong commitment to work with these students, offering advice and encouragement. And we all know what a difference that can make. None of us would be here without opportunity and support, and most importantly, again, people who are ready and willing to lift us up. We have built important partnerships to extend the reach of our giving, and our dinner is the primary fundraiser for our association and our scholarship. So, thank you for your support and your checks. Thank you very much. Tonight, we congratulate 30 students from 16 colleges and universities around the country. Friday, they received a tour of the White House, received a briefing with senior adviser to the President, Anita Dunn, and got amazing advice from journalists who'd literally been in their shoes. I can tell you from experience, they are bright, brilliant, and ready to take all of our jobs. Let's meet them. JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: This is CNN's special live coverage of the White House Correspondents Dinner. An exciting night. A celebration of journalism. Very shortly, we will hear from President Biden and Colin Jost. Stay with us. (COMMERCIAL BREAK) [22:10:00] ?SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: You are watching our special cover of the White House Correspondents Dinner. There is Joe Biden. We are waiting for him to speak very shortly, as well as SNL's Colin Jost. Let's listen in. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) CROWD: We're White House Pressies. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Of course, we move press out of the Oval. CROWD: Thank you, press. Thank you, press. (END VIDEO CLIP) O'DONNELL: I too am a White House correspondent, and of course, of course, I appreciate the good humor of colleagues who wanted to take you behind the scenes. This is one night where we celebrate, we laugh, hopefully at ourselves. We take a breath and a beat before we get back to work. With a world on edge, a nation weary but resilient, a campaign that is not the echo of four years ago, however, familiar the names and the issues. All of this, all of it, is a heck of a story. Our White House Correspondents' Association includes more than 800 journalists from all branches of the news business. We are 250 news organizations, and our members represent 39 countries. Covering news that emanates from the White House and around the world. Our work at its best seeks information and accountability, not specific outcomes. In that vein, we ask questions. We often shout questions. We would welcome more opportunities to pose them in a calm and measured way. We strive for knowledge, not noise. These days, with the boundless resources of taxpayers and donors, and the skill of marketing experts, any White House or campaign can create its own content. We believe that independent professional journalists on hand to document the events of a presidency are stewards of something precious, more enduring than any news cycle or trending topic. We preserve the historical record, part of the legacy of the First Amendment. Our association acts as the primary voice supporting a sprawling press corps with many separate employers. We advocate and organize for press access around all daily events, foreign and domestic trips, and then we tackle things like workspace facilities and membership activities. I am grateful to our board for all of your hard work, and a special thank you to our executive director, Steve Thoma, for your expertise and dedication. Thank you, Steve. My gratitude is multiplying because this week marks a career anniversary for me. 30 years with NBC News. I am very lucky. I'm very lucky. Mr. President, I think that might have been a plodding age there, I don't know. I am optimistic that we can do more to demonstrate that a free press serves democracy. Even when truth can be tough to discern and trust is hard to earn and maintain. Even when some of our fellow citizens tune us out, we have work to do to understand the difference between reporting and posting, to use our voices to inform and not to inflame. Those close to me know that I have been counting the days to this dinner for months, but I knew there are others in our news community who've been counting too, for very different reasons. At the Wall Street Journal, they are counting for Moscow correspondent Evan Gershkovich. 396 days since he was jailed in Russia. The U.S. government has designated Evan was wrongfully detained. And Evan's parents and his family are with us tonight. And we are with you, always. We remember Austin Tice, 4,276 days, nearly 12 years since he was kidnapped in Syria. His mother Debra is with us. And Mrs. Tice, we are with you. And, Mr. President, again, we humbly ask that you do everything you can to bring them home. [22:15:00] Our profession can be perilous. Since October, about 100 journalists have been killed, most of those deaths in Gaza, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists. Around the world, more than 320 reporters imprisoned as of December, including an American with dual Russian citizenship, Alsu Kurmasheva, who works for the U.S. funded Radio Free Europe Radio Liberty. She has been jailed in Russia since October. Here at home, there are different challenges. Online threats. Hostility vented at reporters on the job. And anxiety is about a paycheck. Layoffs have hit our business very hard this year. For news consumers who believe that a free press is essential, demonstrate that belief with a subscription. Show that professionally gathered news is a product you value. And we owe you our best efforts and our highest standards. So, I have a ritual that began years ago when I first started on the beat. That no matter what is going on, I make a point to think about this every time I walk through the gates. I remember that I am the granddaughter of Irish immigrants who came here with little and believed in a big, bright future. I recognize that any day could shift from quiet to consequential, upended by unexpected events. History could pivot that very day. So, I ask myself, will I be ready? Will I be worthy? Will you? Past WHCA presidents are out in the audience tonight. I can see our press corps, please stand up. Former board members of the WHCA, please stand. Our chief White House correspondents, please stand. Our current correspondents, reporters, producers, visual, and broadcast journalists on this beat, please stand. Colleagues who have previously covered the White House, I am so proud of all of you. And join me, join me in a tradition where we show our respect for the office we cover. On this night, a toast to the First Amendment and to the president. Mr. President. And now, I get to say words those Irish grandparents and my mom and dad never thought were possible, I'm honored to welcome the 46th president of the United States, Joe Biden. JOE BIDEN, U.S. PRESIDENT: Thank you, thank you, thank you. If you think your Irish grandparents are wondering, my great, great grandparents would get here in 1846. Everyone, what in the hell's going on? I want to thank you for the warm welcome, but please not so loud. Donald was listening. Sleepy Don. I kind of like that. I may use that again. Kelly O'Donnell, president of White House Correspondents' Association, thank you for having me. O'DONNELL: Thank you, sir. BIDEN: For Kelly 'O, let's be honest, you're way too young to be president. It's been a year since I delivered this speech and my wife Jill was with me tonight, was worried how I do. I told her don't worry, just like riding the bike. See, that's what I'm worried about. Of course, the 2024 election is in full swing. And yes, age is an issue. I'm a grown man running against a six-year-old. Well, I feel great. I really feel great. I'm campaigning all over the country. Pennsylvania, Georgia, North Carolina. I've always done well in the original 13 colonies. And speaking of history, did you hear what Donald just said about the major Civil War battle? Cool. Gettysburg. Wow. Trump's speech was so embarrassing the statue of Robert E. Lee surrendered again. But look, age is the only thing we have in common. My vice president actually endorses me. [22:20:00] I had a great stretch since the State of the Union. Well, Donald has had a few tough days lately. You might call it stormy weather. What the hell? Trump's so desperate he started reading those bibles he's selling. Then he got to the first commandment, you shall have no other gods before me. That's when he put it down and said, this book's not for me. Look, being here is a reminder that folks think what's going on in Congress is political theater. That's not true. Congress were theater that have thrown out Lauren Boebert a long time ago. To all my friends in the press, and Fox News, some of you complain that I don't take enough of your questions. No comment. Of course, "The New York Times" issued a statement blasting me for "active and effectively avoiding independent journalists." Hey, if that's what it takes to get "The New York Times" to say I'm active and effective, I'm for it. It's OK. I have a higher standard. I do interviews with strong, independent journalists who millions of people actually listen to, like Howard Stern. And I know you're looking around and saying, this guy's been doing this for 50 years. He's had his moment. Give someone else a chance. To say that, I say, Lauren, ignore the critics. Ignore the critics. Lauren's a great friend who's had eight comedians play me over the years on "Saturday Night Live," eight. And who the hell says I'm not a real job creator. Look, Lauren's had even more comedians and actors joke about me. Like the funny guy in "Weekend Update," Michael Shay. He's hilarious. Scarlett Johansson, you did such an incredible job in your State of the Union rebuttal that you should be weekend of the "Weekend Update." Clearly. You're the funny one in the family. Look, folks, on a serious note, in addition to marrying up, Colin and I have another thing in common, we both find strength in family. I got to spend some time with his family yesterday in the Oval Office. Colin's dad was a high school teacher in Staten Island, and his mom is an incredible woman. A family of firefighters, was chief medical officer in New York City Fire Department on 9/11. As a doctor, she rushed to ground zero, risking her own life, treating and saving fellow first responders. Rushing into danger for others is my definition of patriotism and heroism. And so is what all of you do when you report truth over lies. That's why I want to close the night with my genuine thanks to the free press. There are some who call you the enemy of the people, that's wrong and it's dangerous. You literally risk your lives doing your job. You do. Covering everything from natural disasters to pandemics to wars and so much more. And some of your colleagues have given their lives and many have suffered grievous injuries. Other reporters have lost their freedom. Journalism is clearly not a crime, not here, not there, not anywhere in the world. And Putin should release Evan and Austin immediately. Yes, we're doing everything we can. We're doing everything we can to bring home journalists, fellow journalists, Austin and all Americans like Paul Whelan, you know, who are wrongfully detained all around the world. I give him orders of Biden, we're not going to give up until we get them home. All of them, all of them. [22:25:00] On the third anniversary of January 6th, I went to Valley Forge and I said, the most urgent question of our time is whether democracy is still, is still the sacred cause of America. That is the question the American people must answer this year. And you, the free press, play a critical role in making sure the American people have the information they need to make an informed decision. A defeated former president has made no secret of his attack on our democracy. He said he wants to be a dictator on day one and so much more. He tells supporters he is their revenge and retribution. When in god's name have you ever heard of another president say something like that? And he promised a bloodbath when he loses again. We have to take this seriously. Eight years ago, you could have written off as just Trump talk, but no longer, not after January 6th. I'm sincerely not asking of you to take sides, but I'm asking you to rise up to the seriousness of the moment, move past the horse race numbers and the gotcha moments and the distractions, the sideshows that have come to dominate, sensationalize our politics and focus on what's actually at stake. And I think in your hearts you know what's at stake. The stakes couldn't be higher. Every single one of us has roles to play, a serious role to play, making sure democracy endures, American democracy. I am on my role, but with all due respect, so do you. In the age of disinformation, credible information that people can trust is more important than ever. And that makes you, and I mean this from the bottom of my heart, it makes you more important than ever. So tonight, I'd like to make a toast to a free press, to an informed citizenry, to an America where freedom and democracy endure. God bless America. Now, I'm going to turn it over to Kelly. Now to hear from a real comedian. I think I know what I'm in for. You know, Colin Jost has taken aim at me before with his jokes. O'DONNELL: Oh, I'm sure. Are you ready? BIDEN: Like saying, after winning the South Carolina primary, Biden barely edged out his closest rival, time. Colin, when I win, I'm going to have a whole hell of a lot of time. And I'm going to be watching, pal. Kelly, back to you. O'DONNELL: Thank you, Mr. President. Thank you very much. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. President. Thank you so very much for being here and for your words in support of journalists. And now, we turn to Colin Jost, our headline entertainer. Colin not only brings the excitement of his own charisma and talents, but his guests are strictly A-list. In fact, I've been watching this evening as many of you have been trying to get a selfie and hoping to get close to a very special woman who is a big, big star in Colin's life. His mother, Dr. Kerry Kelly. And I know Scarlett agrees that Colin's mother is indeed a star in her own right. As the president indicated, Dr. Kelly spent nearly four decades with the New York City Fire Department. She became the first woman named the FDNY's chief medical officer, and her service included 9/11, as the president indicated, where she led triage efforts. So, Dr. Kelly, we thank you for your good work. And as his mother, you know -- yes, Dr. Kelly, and Mr. Jost. As you know, Colin shares a lot in common with many of us here tonight, we're all fans of Scarlett Johansson. So, for a moment, I'm going to take you back to when Colin himself was a reporter for the esteemed publication at Regis High School. The Owl. A young Colin Jost scoop, "10 Ways Not to Start an English Paper." An in-depth reporting on "Faculty Summer Plans." Then and now, Colin Jost is at the core a talented writer. That's why I wanted him here tonight. And he is now the longest serving anchor of "Weekend Update" on Saturday Night Live. Are you ready? Are you ready? ?And he is now the longest serving anchor of "Weekend Update" on "Saturday Night Live." Are you ready? Are you ready? It is my thrill to welcome Colin Jost. [22:30:00] COLIN JOST, SNL HOST AND COMEDIAN: Thank you, everyone. Hello. That was hard hitting journalism you saw in The Owl. I didn't know you were going to show photos of me from high school. Yes, it's not really fair. You can't do it for President Biden because the technology wasn't invented when he was in high school. It's not really fair. Good evening, everyone. I'm Colin Jost and I'll be delivering the Republican response. I'll be honest with you, I don't have a lot of time. I need to get back to New York because I'm juror number five on a big trial. Trump's lawyer took one look at me and he's like, he's got to be on our side. Thank you, Kelly, for that very kind introduction. Mr. President, Dr. Biden, Vice President Harris, Doug. Doug, as you can tell from all the comments about my wife, I'm also used to being the second gentleman. And I am honored to be here hosting what is, according to swing state polls, the final White House Correspondents' Dinner. I hope that tonight will be a night to remember. For most of us. I was excited to be up here on stage with President Biden tonight, mostly to see if I could figure out where Obama was pulling the strings from. I have to admit, it's not easy following President Biden. I mean, it's not always easy following what he's saying, like -- but before I begin tonight, can we just acknowledge how refreshing it is to see a president of the United States at an event that doesn't begin with a bailiff saying, all rise. And I would like to point out, it's after 10:00 p.m., Sleepy Joe is still awake, while Donald Trump has spent the past week falling asleep in court every morning. Though Fox News said he was just being anti- woke. We are all here tonight at nerd prom. Well, Matt Gaetz is at regular prom, but I actually thought I saw Matt Gaetz here tonight, but it was actually just my own reflection in a spoon. Like many of you here tonight, I pretend to do news on TV. My "Weekend Update" co-anchor, Michael Che, was going to join me here tonight, but in solidarity with President Biden, I decided to lose all my black support. Che told me to say that, and I'm just realizing I was set up. I've done "Weekend Update" for a while now, but most people don't know that I started out doing the actual news. My first job out of college was as a reporter for the Staten Island Advance newspaper. [22:35:00] They do not have a table here tonight. But they asked me to pass along this message to the other print journalists in the room, you think you're better than me? By the way, I want to point out, when I worked at the Staten Island Advance, we had a daily circulation of 100,000. "The Washington Post" would kill for that. So, as a former aspiring journalist, I want to genuinely congratulate all the award winners here tonight. Congratulations. The Correspondents' Association provides scholarships to promising young journalism students who may one day be sent off to cover dangerous geopolitical hotspots like Columbia University. Tonight, this event is being televised live on C-SPAN. And if you're at home watching C-SPAN on a Saturday night, I hope they find your body soon, before your cats get to it. There are so many incredible news organizations here tonight. Also a few credible ones. "The Washington Post" is here. "Washington Post." They were the ones taking your coats at the door. Please be sure to tip. Fox News is here tonight. It's the end of an era. Rupert Murdoch stepped down at Fox News, which is strange. I didn't think there was a step down from Fox News. Trump Media is here. Trump Media, not at a table, just screaming loudly in the corner to no one. Wordle is here tonight. Sorry. Sorry. I meant "The New York Times." I forgot they do stuff in addition to puzzles. I have to say, it's not a great sign when the only thing keeping a print media company alive are games people play on their phones. Too chilling for you guys? Room just froze faster than Mitch McConnell. And I have to say apologies to "The Times," but as a Staten Islander, I still get all my news from "The New York Post." Thank you. The only paper where the front page always has the same 200-point font, whether the headline is, World War III to Start Tomorrow, or Central Park Owl Dead in Building Collision. "The New York Post" is like having "The New York Times" summarized for you by a crackhead. "The Times" will say, a border deal continues to evade Congress, and "The Post" is like, these Mexicans are taking my stuff. There are so many incredible individuals here tonight. Lara Trump is here tonight. OK, I got one woo. She recently released a cover of the song, "I Won't Back Down." Upon hearing it, Tom Petty died again. I can't believe I'm saying this to a member of the Trump family, but maybe stick to politics? Senator Bernie Sanders is here, because he's not the type to pass up a free hot meal. And in general, there are so many hard-working, influential senators and congresspeople here tonight, and I just want to say, on behalf of everyone I know, stop e-mailing us. [22:40:00] Stop it. We get it. Democracy is on the line. And your plan to save it is to flood our inboxes like your crate and barrel. It's also wonderful to be back in Washington. I love being in Washington. The last time I was in D.C., I left my cocaine at the White House. Luckily, the president was able to put it to good use for his State of the Union. I'm kidding, of course, the president doesn't call it cocaine, he calls it high speed rail. By the way, can you blame the guy for turning to cocaine? He must be exhausted, orchestrating four separate trials against his rival, rigging the Super Bowl, and gearing up to steal a second election. Wow. Biden laughed. I love, by the way, that Trump's two attacks on President Biden are that he's a senile old man and a criminal mastermind. I'm like, I think you got to pick one. Personally, I don't know any criminal masterminds who biked to get ice cream. Also, it's not like Trump himself is young and sharp. I'm not saying both candidates are old, but you know Jimmy Carter is out there thinking, I could maybe win this thing. He's only 99. There is an election. There's an election six extremely long months from now. So, let me see if I can summarize where this race stands at this moment. The Republican candidate for president owes half a billion in fines for bank fraud and is currently spending his days farting himself awake during a porn star hush money trial, and the race is tied? The race is tied. Nothing makes sense anymore. The candidate, who is a famous New York City playboy, took abortion rights away, and the guy who's trying to give you your abortion rights back is an 80-year-old Catholic. How does that sense? By the way, President Biden, isn't it crazy that he's only our second Catholic president? And what's even crazier is that in just a few short months, we'll have our third in RFK Jr. I'm kidding. Like his vaccine card says, he doesn't have a shot. Everything feels strange now. By a lot of measures, President Biden is having a very successful first term, but people don't seem to realize it. Like with the economy. The vibes are bad, but the numbers say it's strong. The economy is kind of like you on the steps of Air Force One. It feels like it's stumbling, but there is somehow upward progress. I do think that you can do more on the economy, sir. I really do. For example, have you considered eliminating the national debt by shorting Trump stock? People keep asking if our lives are better than they were four years ago. Of course, they are. Four years ago, we didn't have online sports gambling. What more do you need? By the way, that's probably what's keeping the economy afloat. Online gambling and Taylor Swift, without those, we'd be in a recession right now. [22:45:00] The problem is people are always going to compare your first term to Obama's, but I think there are actually a lot of positive similarities. You both made big strides in healthcare. Obama got us out of a recession. You got us out of a pandemic. Obama got Bin Laden, you got O.J. And by the way, now that O.J. is dead, who is the new front runner for Trump's VP? Is it Diddy? By the way, I bet if Trump did select Diddy as his running mate, I bet this race would still be tied. I think even some Democrats say that they are underwhelmed, but I think they're just not living in reality. Manage your expectations, people. It's like tonight. Sure, we all wish we were at the Waldorf right now, but we're at the Washington Hilton. And we have to make the best of it. Just be happy you're not at the Airport Hilton. Journalists, these are challenging times, and we need the people in this room to help guide us through it. Your jobs are not easy, and it doesn't help that we're living at the end of traditional media. The gatekeepers are gone. Did you know that 90 percent of people now get their news exclusively from social media? And that must be true, because I saw it in a random guy's TikTok. He was recording the video while driving a Toyota Corolla, but he seemed to know his stuff. Isn't it crazy, by the way, that TikTok could be outlawed in the U.S. by the end of this year? That's a real shame. Because we're going to need TikTok to document who is storming the Capitol next January 6th. Things are not bad for everyone, though. This may be the worst time in history to be a print journalist. It is the best time in history to be a courtroom sketch artist. My god, the most famous man on Earth is on trial and there's no cameras allowed, just the artists, they're pastels and their desire to make Trump look as bad as possible. Every sketch of Trump looks like the Grinch had sex with the Lorax. In closing, I would really like to take a moment to recognize all the print journalists in this room. Your words speak truth to power. Your words bring light to the darkness. And most importantly, your words train the A.I. programs that will soon replace you. And finally, I wanted to thank my family, and I wanted to thank my friends for being here tonight to support me. I want to thank my wife for enduring lots of jokes, and for agreeing to individually meet everyone in this room right after the ceremony. That is -- that's really special, honey. Thank you. Don't be shy. Come right up. She hates privacy. And with my family in mind, I wanted to share one last thing with you before I go, and I wanted to share one thing with you, Mr. President, before I go. I lost my grandfather this year, as you alluded to, a firefighter, William Kelly. He's the reason that our son's middle name is William. He helped raise me growing up and I would not be here today without him. My grandpa was a firefighter on Staten Island for 40 years to make extra money for his family. He was a substitute teacher and he painted houses. And since it's Staten Island, I should point out it's not like this Scorsese Irishman painting houses. He was not a mafia hitman, he actually painted houses. [22:50:00] The FBI is here. I don't want to start a whole thing. My grandfather was another rare Irishman who didn't drink because he lost his father and his brother to alcoholism. And I swear, Mr. President, this is not an age comparison. You remind me of him. Some of your best qualities remind me of his. And I will say he was 95 and he was still great at stairs. I think it's because he didn't try to run up them. But the reason that I bring up my grandfather, and I don't know if you know -- realize, Mr. President, but Staten Island firefighters are not normally your demographic. Staten Island voted about 70 percent for Trump in the last election, and the other 30 percent was for Giuliani. But Staten Island also sided with the British during the Revolutionary War. So, we're not always on the right side of history. You remember. But my grandfather, a Staten Island firefighter, voted for you, Mr. President. He voted for you in the last election that he ever voted in. I mean, I'm sure someone else will vote twice in this election using his name, but that's just how the democratic machine works. He voted for you, and the reason that he voted for you is because you're a decent man. My grandpa voted for decency, and decency is why we're all here tonight. Decency is how we're able to be here tonight. Decency is how we're able to make jokes about each other, and one of us doesn't go to prison after. We go to the Newsmax after party. And when you look at the levels of freedom throughout history and even around the world today, this is the exception. This freedom is incredibly rare, and the journalists in this room help protect that freedom, and we cannot ever take that for granted. So, Mr. President, I thank you for your decency on behalf of my grandfather. And I thank all of you, almost all of you, for your decency as well. I am very honored and grateful that you invited me here tonight. Thank you, and good night. O'DONNELL: Thank you, Colin. And all of our speakers tonight, especially you, Mr. President. Thanks again to our executive producer, Bob Bain, and his excellent team. Thank you to the Washington Hilton. Really, thank you to the Washington Hilton. I am forever grateful to our members, and to Comcast, NBCUniversal, my home at NBC News. Thank you to our board, and good luck, Eugene. I hope you had fun. I had the time of my life. Good night. SIDNER: Wow. That was Colin Jost just finishing that out there, in an unusual ending, something I don't think a lot of people were expecting from him, because he's usually joke after joke after joke, and he killed it with some of the jokes, the room went crazy, but ending that way was really an endorsement of President Biden. BERMAN: He talked about decency, he talked about his 95-year-old grandfather who passed away this year and said that his grandfather voted for Donald Trump excuse me -- voted for President Biden because of decency. Politics aside it was a poignant plea, and I think endorsement in the room of not necessarily just a politician, but also a way of life, also a search for truth, also hard work and things like that. [22:55:00] It was an interesting night. President Biden came out, not a very long speech. A lot of jokes about Donald Trump. Very Trump focused from President Biden. Also, some direction to the media over what he thinks the media should do in this election. And then, Colin Jost, one joke after another, after another, after another, relentless. And yes, he joked about the president's age a lot, a lot. A lot to talk about. We are back with our all-star panel that was watching, that was laughing, there were some cringes, it was all happening right here. Cari Champion, I see you at the end nodding first. CARI CHAMPION, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: I will -- listen, I thought he was great. To my surprise, I didn't think he was going to be that great, he was very honest, I think as you mentioned earlier, someone mentioned here on this panel earlier that there's truth in every joke, I thought there was so much truth in a lot of the jokes in which he said. I love that he made fun of just about everyone, no one was safe. But more importantly, at the very end, to your point, there were two things that really caught my attention that I really enjoyed, please come up to my wife, she doesn't love her privacy, everyone say hi to her. That's what she wants. I love that moment because she's sitting here laughing -- like, she's laughing really hard, like, you better not. I -- please do not come up with -- and I love that because it tells me who he is and who she is, and they have that moment together. I love that his family was there. I just -- I really thought he hit it out of the park. And last but not least, the decency clause. I'm a fan of that. I think that everybody should be decent. I think we've been really nasty, and when I say we, society as a whole, what we read and what we see and what trends on social media doesn't speak to our heart and our kindness. And for him to say that, that gave me a new perspective about who he was and I appreciated it. VAN LATHAN, HOST, "THE HIGHER LEARNING PODCAST" ON THE RINGER: I was really surprised with President Biden. I thought that he knocked it out of the park. He was funny, but more than that, he showed the charisma that people sometimes don't see from him. He was dripping with it. He understood the joke. He was in on the joke. As far as Colin, like he did the "8 Mile" thing. He gets up there, if you guys have ever seen "8 Mile," you've seen "8 Mile" before? BIDEN: Mom's spaghetti, makes me nervous. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mom's spaghetti. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. LATHAN: He gets up there and he basically does every single joke that you possibly can about Joe Biden, about big democratic sort of conspiracies and all of that. And at the end, he ends with his heartfelt feelings about Joe Biden, about who he feels like the man is, and that made him more powerful after we had heard him destroy everybody else. Really strong night from both of the guys, really, honestly. SIDNER: What'd you think, SE? SE CUPP, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, it was great. I thought he was great. I don't know who, from our organization, paid him not to make fun of CNN, but there was not a single mention of us. And we usually get a jab or two. BERMAN: A jab or two, we usually get like five minutes. CUPP: Most snippet. So, someone was working for us there. But I thought he was really funny. And that moment at the end that we all have talked about being really heartfelt, a little emotional could have come off as self-righteous and earnest and scolding and it wasn't. It worked so well because he personalized it with his family and he didn't go too far. It wasn't cloying. I thought it was like just the right ending. But I loved a lot of his jokes. The Matt Gaetz one in particular. BERMAN: We'll go over that. We'll relive them. Second by second, a little bit later. Van, first impressions. VAN JONES, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR AND FORMER OBAMA ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: You know, I love Joe Biden. You know, I get frustrated with him. I -- you know, on a day-to-day basis, you just think, Jesus, why this, why that, why not that? And then, you get a chance to spend some time with him, either in person or here, and you remember, as you've said, Van, this guy has real charisma. There's a reason that he keeps exceeding expectations. He was counted out many, many times, but it's because of that. I thought it was smart for him to keep it short. Other presidents could maybe take a cue from that. He kept it short. I like the jokes about his age. They were -- he gave his main jokes about his age, almost as Colin did. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. JONES: You know, and I especially like -- the one thing he did, I thought was smart, he talked about the age issue being that Trump is a six-year-old. SIDNER: Yes, I'm a grown man and he's a six-year-old. JONES: I'm a grown man, he's a six-year-old. I thought that was really good. BERMAN: And you then -- and then you continue, let's say, like, I've been campaigning in all 13 colonies. JONES: Yes, exactly. SIDNER: He's really funny. JONES: You know, to your point, he was in on the joke. He understood it, he embraced it, he was able to deal with it, and then, you know, Colin did what he did. I think if you're a conservative it's, again, the kind of mainstream media side siding with Biden, that may not go down well for them. But if you're going to do it, do it like Colin did, make it personal, throw in a few little jabs, keep it funny, but open your heart up and call this country back to its best self, which is what he was doing. … CNN Live Event/Special Aired April 27, 2024 - 23:00 ET THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED. [22:59:52] … SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: Scott, what did you think? Because Scott's got a different take. I saw those eyebrows go up. SCOTT JENNINGS, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Yes, I thought it was wise for Biden to keep it short and he didn't try to over modulate, you know, he was pretty even keel throughout, you know, sometimes he goes up and down and it's weird. You know, he was very passive aggressive, mostly focused on Trump. I did think it was a little rich for him to tell the press, I don't want you to choose sides, but then he instructed them to cover the race in the exact same framing that he wants the race to be covered. I also -- you know, again, he and the rest of the Democrats continue to spew misinformation about what Trump used the word bloodbath. He -- it's a complete lie and a canard that Biden -- and then says, we can't have misinformation in this race, while doing it himself. I thought Jost was funny. Some of it was a little flat. I'll be honest, I wasn't expecting the endorsement at the end. And there's a lot of sports contents on tonight, and I suspect a lot of what people are going to hear about this will be clippings over the next 24 to 48 hours. My suspicion is the Jost endorsement will be one of the leading -- not the jokes, but the endorsement -- SIDNER: It will make news. JENNINGS: -- and that will make news, and I'll be curious to see if that -- JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Where? Where? Will it make news on Fox News or will it make news in the media? JENNINGS: Well, Jost -- I don't view Jost as a political figure. He is someone that I think people who don't follow politics would know and follow. And so, his interjecting himself into it will probably make some kind of news. I mean, look, we had Biden speak tonight, and then we had a Biden surrogate effectively speak tonight. And so, I agree with you, conservatives will not care for that, but there'll be a lot of people who only follow people like Colin Jost, who maybe take notice of it that wouldn't otherwise be following political events like this. BERMAN: The way he did it, just to be clear, you know, he didn't go out there and say, Joe Biden for president. What he did was said my grandfather who passed away this year voted for you the last time he voted. He also said that President Biden reminds him of his grandfather and said the reason was because of decency. SIDNER: And he was speaking to the country about decency and to the people in the room about decency and the reason why this exists, that we can rib each other and not go to jail, I think is what he said, is because of decency. VAN LATHAN, HOST, "THE HIGHER LEARNING PODCAST" ON THE RINGER: I'll be honest, it's the single most effective celebrity endorsement I think I've ever heard. Because of the platform, where he was, how he had set it up before. And in my opinion, the reasons that he outlined that he feels like his grandfather voted for Joe Biden, those are the reasons, to me, that a lot of Americans vote for presidents. Like we can get to the ins and outs of the economy, of politics, of foreign policy, but to me, I think -- I still think that a lot of Americans vote for the guy that they think most reflects their values and who they are and character. And you just can't get a stronger endorsement from somebody at that point. It definitely was an endorsed. S.E. CUPP, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, he was he was talking to me That's why I voted for Joe Biden. I used to say, because I want to make America good again. And I think Joe Biden's a good person. And so, to sort of re-up that message, I think, was important. But also, interestingly, he made jokes about some political issues, but he did not get political, at all. And I think that was really smart too because had he gone political, making a -- maybe a political commentary on Gaza, or I know he made an abortion joke, but he wasn't really making a value judgment, had he really leaned into the politics, that endorsement would not have worked. I think it really would have stepped on the endorsement. The endorsement worked because he kind of stayed out of the politics, I think. BERMAN: What about age as an issue, both for Biden and for Colin Jost? How do we think it played? If the goal clearly, one of the -- I surmise, one of the biggest goals from the White House at an event like this is to deal with head on what is one of the biggest issues with President Biden is his age. Do they do it effectively? JONES: I think so. I mean, I think so. And, you know, in the State of the Union, when he was, you know, get off my lawn levels of like volume -- BERMAN: According to college years. Coked up. Or coked up, you know. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Libyan marching pop. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That he left the White House, by the way. JONES: Exactly. So, you know, with that one, you know, I think, it felt obligatory, it felt kind of like begrudging he had to kind of deal with the age issue. This time he seemed to actually enjoy it. He's even more Reagan. Like, you know, Reagan played with that a lot. And I think he's finally kind of found his Reagan voice in talking about his age. I thought it was great. JENNINGS: They don't have a choice. I mean, you can't go out and say, I'm not old, because you clearly are. So, they don't really have a choice other than to deal with it via humor. Having Jost there to ratify that strategy, I mean, again, it's a very effective political strategy when you want to do something and then someone who's a professional at doing that shows up and helps you do it. I mean, that's what they got out of it tonight. And there's -- you know, there's not really other events that go on in our political atmosphere that are designed to massage the rough edges of Trump. This is designed to massage the very rough edge of Biden, which is concerns about his age. Trump doesn't have a -- like an analogous thing. [23:05:00] CARI CHAMPION, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Yes, you're right. I thought Colin did something that was really smart, when we page, and she -- because we're best friends, Colin. He did -- BERMAN: My boy, Colin. CHAMPION: My guy. We talk on the phone, and the jokes went over well, we discussed, you know. I like that he really said, to me, what -- in my opinion, when he said, you know what, Diddy could run, be running mates with Trump, and it will still be tied. SIDNER: Yes. CHAMPION: He's talking about the state of where we are. Like, I want you to realize what's going on. BERMAN: Wow. CHAMPION: This is ridiculous. Are we paying attention to where we are today? Like, as a comedian, it is your job, I think, to observe the humor of the country and to make it digestible to people who don't necessarily follow politics, as you just talked about, but also to make it something that we can say, oh, that's funny, I remember, you're right, let me take a step back. Diddy, the running mate for Trump. Anybody at this moment could be. SIDNER: It's funny because it's true, is what you're saying. CHAMPION: That's my -- that is the exact -- what he's saying, listen to what I am telling you. This is funny, but listen, there's also something that we need to pay attention to. And that's what got my attention. SIDNER: He brought up almost every single thing that Biden is having to face. He brought up Columbia, although he didn't put throw Biden in there. He was -- he teased the students about that. But he also brought up the black vote when talking about. That got a huge reaction. CHAMPION: Out of me here. SIDNER: Yes, yes, yes. He talked about his "Weekend Update" partner, Michael Che, saying that he was supposed to be here, but I'm also standing in solidarity with Joe Biden -- CHAMPION: And losing all my black supporters. SIDNER: -- losing all my black supporters. CHAMPION: Yes. SIDNER: What did you make of that? Like, is that -- was that the right tone to deal with that issue? CHAMPION: Yes. He was, to me, pitch perfect. Yes. You know, and people say this often, but it was. I wasn't offended by anything he said. Some awkward moments. Things weren't always funny, but it was accurate. I think he spoke for a portion of society on left and right sides who felt like they weren't getting what they need and haven't been getting what they needed from President Biden. Also, the same with Trump and how ridiculous it is to have him falling asleep and farting himself awake. JENNINGS: The jokes about the race being tied, actually, I think that was the most biting thing he said about. Biden, he lists off all these terrible things about Trump and then he says, yet the race is tied. What I didn't get from him was that he understands why the race is tied. CHAMPION: Was that his job though? JENNINGS: Well, I mean, he came out to make an endorsement in the race. So, maybe. It should be. I mean, I -- but I think if you ask the average conservative, like, why is the race tied or why is Donald Trump ahead in all the swing states? They know, but do the people on the dais and the people in that room know? They're outraged that the race is tied, but they seem to have little understanding about why that might be. And I think if he had acknowledged that a little bit, it might have -- CUPP: On Joe's? JENNINGS: Yes, it might have helped. CUPP: Like, what did you want him to say? Like something about immigration? Something about crime? Something about the border? JENNINGS: Something about how the only people who can afford groceries in America are sitting in the same ballroom tonight? I don't know. I mean -- CUPP: He did. He talked about the economy. JENNINGS: I mean, there are things you can do to acknowledge what people are feeling outside the bubble versus the outrage that people inside the bubble feel about the -- how could anyone person ever vote for Donald Trump? Well, let me tell you, more than a few are going to vote for him, but it's sort of your job to understand outside versus inside the bubble. BERMAN: Let me ask you this, Scott, because I've been here with you at these events before, and Jost did what he did, and either, you know, talked about his grandfather voting for Joe Biden, so that was definitely there, but this wasn't the type of comedy, I don't think, as I was sitting here near you, that offended you as a conservative. JENNINGS: I'm not. I'm not offended by it, but I think my job here, as it's been for the last seven years, is to try to reflect what the average middle America conservative might -- how they might react to something. I think he said some funny things. I certainly laughed out loud at some of them and I'm just -- I'm giving you all -- JONES: I think it's useful. I think it's useful because you are correct. Half the country is going to vote for a guy and the other half of the country is bewildered as to why. And he did say one funny thing about the Trumps, since we already talked about what maybe -- I bet Lara Trump. He said Lara Trump sings so bad; he's going to invite her to go back to politics. That was pretty -- I don't know if the conservatives like that very much. Just one last thing. You know, I think for me, that's one of the few moments in that room that you saw the Fox people, you saw the CNN people, you saw -- it's one of the few times in America where all those people are actually all together, people on both sides, people from rival news outlets. Sometimes it can be very awkward and uncomfortable, but I do think that both the people who are getting the awards, all that kind of stuff, that stuff really matters. SIDNER: Sure. JONES: It made me proud to be a part of this profession. It made me proud to be in a country where journalists can go and comedians can go and stick it to the president, and it still works out all right. [23:10:00] SIDNER: It is about celebrating the First Amendment as well. So, those uncomfortable conversations that may be having or who you're sitting next to, the point is that we can do it without anybody going to jail, and it's something that he said, we can rib each other without -- JENNINGS: Do you think the reporters in the room understand that when Biden makes jokes, like I'm going on Howard Stern, that the joke is on you? Like I'm going to do Howard Stern, but I'm not going to spend any time with you people here? I'm going to come up here and I'm going to say all the things you expect me to say, but the real joke is, I'm not going to give you the time of day and I'm going to spend all my time with Howard Stern, ha, ha, ha. I mean, the two "New York Times" reporters that got awards tonight, that's the only time "The New York Times" gets to spend with Joe Biden, those little photo ops tonight. BERMAN: Well, based on the latest round of reporting from "The New York Times" and about "The New York Times," they do care, and they are very upset. And look we all want -- JENNINGS: But he doesn't. But Biden doesn't care. That's the joke is on -- if I were in that room there to celebrate journalism, I almost would be a little offended that Joe Biden is pranking me. SIDNER: OK. LATHAN: Well, I mean, I guess the question would be, what offends you more, a president that is maybe a little standoffish with you or one that continuously attacks your profession -- JENNINGS: It's worse than -- LATHAN: -- cuts it down and calls your profession out? And the base is it, like, what -- like, I guess they could take issue with it, but if we're looking at a binary choice between -- JENNINGS: But they don't. LATHAN: We're looking at a binary choice between one guy who's maybe not so nice and fuzzy with the press and another guy who says that they don't have any worth and that -- JONES: And that don't get any of the people. LATHAN: -- people. CUPP: And I talked to a lot of reporters and writers in journalism, they're very annoyed that Joe Biden has been closed to the press. They talk about it openly. They complain about it. They're super annoyed. We demand more access. They complained to the White House about it. I mean -- BERMAN: Reckless. CUPP: Oh, yes, but, on the other side, it's so much worse. And that doesn't give Joe Biden a pass, but the four years of Trump for journalism was a scary time to be doing what we do. JONES: Trump would not even come. CUPP: We got pipe bombs -- BERMAN: He didn't come. CUPP: -- sent to our office and Donald Trump laughed about it. So, there is a comparison. It doesn't excuse Joe Biden's opacity, but people have an institutional knowledge of how this has gone over administrations. Obama was hostile to the press at times, and we remember that too. So, you have to understand we're humans, as journalists, and we're observing everything that's been going on. And we have a compare and contrast from immediate recent history. LATHAN: I think even for average Americans, this is how this whole race is framed. It's the difference between annoyance and annihilation. Like one guy who you might be annoyed with another guy who you believe is a clear and present threat to democracy. CHAMPION: And that depends on who you're voting for, by the way. Yes, yes. It's like -- yes. It's interchangeable. LATHAN: Of course. But my point here is that, yes, if those people in that room would be annoyed with Joe Biden, I just don't understand how they would make that big of an issue with it when another guy is like ripping to shreds their entire -- BERMAN: I don't want to stop this conversation because it's fantastic. And I love all of the input from around the table here, but we're going to lose our people who were actually in the room in one second. So, Laura Coates and Harry Enten, you were there. Abby Phillip is there too. SIDNER: Oh, in the room where it happened. BERMAN: So, talk to us. How did it play? LAURA COATES, CNN ANCHOR, "LAURA COATES LIVE": Yes. HARRY ENTEN, CNN SENIOR DATA REPORTER: I mean, I was not actually in the room. I was stuck out here. So, let me ask the question. COATES: We were in the room where it happened. Hashtag Aaron Burr. Talk to me, Abby, about your reaction to how everything went. I thought it was funny. ABBY PHILLIP, ANCHOR, CNN NEWSNIGHT: I thought it was really funny. Listen, it was funny. Most of the time people laughed. And you know, what I said earlier, the issue is that sometimes journalists don't want to laugh, they don't want to laugh at the jokes, but it was really funny. There were even like some very subtle jokes. When he talked about the second gentleman, and he was just like, Doug. And that was a really funny joke, because everybody knows that Doug is Doug. I thought he really hit the nail on the head in terms of the balance between -- he was a little bit more on the political side, I will say that, right? ENTEN: Well, it's re-election year. PHILLIP: Yes, I mean, he was pro-Biden, let's be honest. He was pro- Biden, but he made a lot of jokes about Biden's age, they were funny, they were interesting, they were generally on point. He needled Trump a lot. COATES: So did President Biden. PHILLIP: So did President Biden. I was actually -- I have to say, I was a little surprised by that. His speech, President Biden's speech was actually quite political, especially at the beginning. COATES: For years, he hasn't even said his name really in the same way and this is the day he went at him. PHILLIP: Yes. Yes, exactly. And so, I almost felt like it was kind of taking a page out of President Obama. This was from before Trump was a candidate or a political person, that was looming over this dinner, and President Biden really just went for it. And it actually kind of indicated -- and maybe this is what they were going for, that they -- that he doesn't want people to think that he's afraid of taking on Trump directly. [23:15:00] ENTEN: So, hold on, hold on. We got a 10:00 p.m. anchor here. We got 11:00 p.m. anchor here. The 10 p.m. anchor has answered all the questions so far. The 11:00 p.m. anchor is trying to play anchor, but I'm going to play a little bit of anchor myself. COATES: Well, you know, I'm just -- I was trying to hear Abby Phillip, because she is the boss. ENTEN: Well, she's the boss, but you're perhaps the vice boss. COATES: I'm the closer. ENTEN: You're the closer. You're the closer. PHILLIP: No, no. We are partners in crime. We're partners in crime. ENTEN: You're partners in crime. And I'm off somewhere else typing some things under a computer into a spreadsheet. What did you think of what happened this evening? COATES: Well, you guys now I'm an inappropriate laugher. So, I was laughing. PHILLIP: Sure. I was trying to keep myself under control. COATES: I try, but like my smile is very ready. And I kept thinking, wait, is there a camera? Can I laugh? Can I laugh at this part? I was surprised that Biden was so political against Trump, by the same token, we're 190 days away for presidential election. Some would say, if not now, when? And he did say, I mean, maybe you would debate him, maybe he wouldn't, maybe it was just way of doing so, I thought Colin Jost was very funny. There was a moment in time, he talked about his grandfather being a voter for Biden, about decency. There was a very nice moment. I thought also the way that he and Scar Jo -- oh, sorry, Scarlett Johansson, is how you all call her? Scar Jo. The way he talked about their relationship and how she doesn't want any privacy. Come on up to her, it was a very funny moment. All in all, they also gave us steak. I was happy. There was a whole dessert tray. It had macaroons. It had -- if you want to know, it had eclairs. It had little -- like little creme pots. ENTEN: Oh, I'm getting hungry. PHILLIP: It may not have been the best part of the dinner, let's be honest. COATES: I mean, it was delicious. ENTEN: Did you have the chicken, the fish? Was there a steak? What was going on? COATES: I had the steak. PHILLIP: It was surf and turf. COATES: I had the steak. PHILLIP: It was surf and turf. COATES: And there were two shrimps. I was told there'd be three. But there were two shrimps. ENTEN: But you got two shrimps, I got no shrimp. COATES: Well, I don't know what to tell you, but you had -- you forgot, you brought the matzah. ENTEN: I did. I did bring the matzah. And it has actually gotten used. This is gluten free matzah because I like to ensure that people with sensitive stomachs would be able to enjoy it as well. COATES: How sensitive of you. Did you know that was going to come as part of the question? PHILLIP: I am shocked that the gluten free matzah went first, but that's just me. ENTEN: You know what? We're in Washington, D.C., not necessarily in New York. You know, guys, I just want to point out, you know, Colin was on tonight, and he was talking all up about Staten Island. Staten Island is the worst borough. I'm sorry. COATES: Oh, no. ENTEN: It's just true. It's the worst borough. The Bronx is where it's at. Arthur Avenue. We're all going to go up to Arthur Avenue, get a little Mario's Pizza. We're all back in New York, and we're going to show Staten Island where it's truly at. COATES: Well, I'm married to a man from the Bronx. So, we're going to Gun Hill Road as well and get the Jamaican food after that. And you? Where we going? PHILLIP: I don't know. I'm going to go to Flatbush. Take me to Flatbush. ENTEN: Oh, Brooklyn. No, no, no, no, no, no, no. I'm done. I'm done with this. Terrible borough choices here. But we'll throw it back to a guy from Armonk, New York on the set there, and Mr. John Berman. BERMAN: All right. Thank you all so much. Enjoy the after parties. SIDNER: They've already started. BERMAN: Harry Enten, Laura Coates, Abby Phillip, our thanks to all three of you. All right. We've been talking about President Biden, we've been talking about Colin Jost, we saw things we really haven't seen before at this dinner. We're going to take a short break. Much more ahead. This is CNN's Special Live Coverage of the White House Correspondents Dinner. (COMMERCIAL BREAK) [23:20:00] (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) COLIN JOST, SNL HOST AND COMEDIAN: Wonderful to be back in Washington. I love being in Washington. The last time I was in D.C., I left my cocaine at the White House. Luckily, the president was able to put it to good use for his State of the Union. I'm kidding, of course, the president doesn't call it cocaine, he calls it high speed rail. (END VIDEO CLIP) SIDNER: There's Colin Jost making one of his many jokes about Joe Biden. And it went over well in the room. And Joe Biden himself did laugh, and we still don't know where that cocaine came from. BERMAN: No, we don't, we don't. Joe Biden, the president, laughed at every one of the jokes that Colin Jost told about his age, which was interesting. I do want to note that conservative media critic Curtis Houck, or conservative media critic -- not a critic of the conservative media, he actually posted that very clip and said Colin Jost kissing Biden's ass at the White House Correspondents. So, in case you were wondering, you know, Scott Jennings has been here giving a conservative perspective of what we saw tonight. This is some of the immediate reaction to what was heard from Colin Jost tonight. You're shaking your head. CUPP: Well, listen, I'm a conservative in the media. I have pretty thick skin. Van and I have attended this several times. I remember them being a lot meaner. Meaner, mean spirited, more cutting jokes directed across the board, but mean. This was light to me. To my ears, this was light, this was -- this wasn't very cutting. So, I don't know, maybe I've just been around long enough. BERMAN: Well, I think that's what he's saying, it's not -- it wasn't cutting toward President Biden. CUPP: But it wasn't even that cutting to Trump. I mean, he's making jokes about him farting in court. I mean, he really could have -- listen, I think he could have gotten a lot darker and a lot meaner about Fox, about conservative media, about Trump. I mean, pick your target. I don't think he did. I think he was pretty light. JONES: What I think is interesting is that, you know, norms are falling across the board. You know, when Trump bust the norm, it scares me and we go nuts. We've never seen when these guys endorse anybody before or women, like we've seen a lot of stuff happen, sometimes they bomb, sometimes they suck, sometimes they're hilarious, sometimes remember forever. I've never seen that before. So, another norm has fallen. And I just -- I think, if I were conservative, I would probably take exception. So, I think, I understand that. But, you know, I liked it, and I look -- I like Colin Jost. I told you, we were going to be talking about him, and nobody else. I think Colin Jost is going to be the news tonight and tomorrow. [23:25:00] I liked what he did. I like what Biden did. But we -- norm did fall today. SIDNER: I was going to say, the news -- JENNINGS: You know what's interesting about the comedy, about Biden though, and the age stuff, it's almost exclusively about his physical limitations. There really is no comedy about his mental capacity. BERMAN: I'm going to beg to differ. In this case, he made jokes about him being senile. He made jokes about not being able to follow what he says. In fact, the first joke he said is, it's hard to follow President Biden. In fact, I mean it, it's hard to follow what he says. JENNINGS: Most of it is about the stairs and the bicycle. I mean, I think this is -- it's smart for the Biden people to coordinate this, to make it more about his physical limitations and not -- because if you look at all the polling -- CHAMPION: They got together. JENNINGS: If you look at -- SIDNER: Are you actually saying -- are you saying that Colin Jost -- LATHAN: Are you saying that Colin Jost is a member of deep state? SIDNER: Wait. What are you saying? JENNINGS: I'm saying -- I'm just saying, if you look at all the polling, everyone's worried. They're not worried about Joe Biden stumbling, they're worried about whether he has the mental capacity, at his age, to serve another term. CUPP: You're worried about Trump -- JENNINGS: And if you -- but -- are they? CUPP: Yes. CHAMPION: Yes. JENNINGS: There's not a single poll in America taken during this campaign that shows people worried more about Trump's capacity than Biden. CUPP: I didn't say more. JENNINGS: So -- but my point is this, it's a wise strategy to try to keep it focused on physical limitations and move the conversation away from, does this person have the mental capacity? JONES: They're historical. CUPP: It's wise. JONES: Well, it's wise because it's proven that's exactly what Reagan did. People were very concerned that Reagan was losing it, and it turns out that he was losing it and actually had full on Alzheimer's. But when Reagan addressed it, he addressed it in this more gentle joking way. So -- JENNINGS: So, you think it's possible that they're effectively covering it up? JONES: Well, no, I'm not saying that they're covering it up. What I'm saying is that just like your guy, just like when you had an old and you had -- JENNINGS: I hadn't endorsed anybody. JONES: No, I'm saying -- I'm just saying about Reagan, just like -- JENNINGS: I do endorse that. JONES: Exactly. So, we have Biden, you have Reagan. But what we do have is, I think, a couple things happening tonight. Number one, you mentioned and I do want to go back and talk about that as well, there is a beautiful relationship there with Scarlett Johansson. Like that -- I mean that -- you talk about these celebrity couples and a lot of times it's like a bunch of drama and nonsense and crazy stuff. You could see the love there. SIDNER: Yes. JONES: You could see that he understands who she is. He's able to pull her. Like there's some beautiful stuff that was happening there. You know, we can beat up on the president, but this is an important night, and I think that was one. I just want to underscore. I thought that was a very important one. CHAMPION: He is family oriented. JONES: Yes. CHAMPION: You could tell. Biden talked about his family. He talked about his grandfather, why he meant so much to him. Everything was family oriented, which I felt, to me, also spoke to his entire set, if you will. There was, yes, I'm being funny, I'm making fun of you. But at the same time, he ended it with what he wanted us to take away, which was the decent element of, we can still do this, we still talk about this election, we can still have all of these differing opinions. If you think he's a member of the deep state, kidding. But we can have these different -- JENNINGS: No, he's a member of the class of people in this country who are geared to want there to be a democratic president. CHAMPION: No. LATHAN: But here's my -- JENNINGS: And there's no crime in that. A lot of people want there to be -- CHAMPION: Well, I just want a decent America. What about just gearing themselves up without -- JENNINGS: So, the only way to have a decent America is to vote Democrats. CHAMPION: No. Well, that was -- LATHAN: All we have decent America is to vote for a decent candidate. CHAMPION: That's it. JENNINGS: Well -- CHAMPION: That's what we all want, right? JENNINGS: -- will have to disagree about the relative decency of Joe Biden. But your -- LATHAN: I have plenty of problems with Joe Biden, but what I would say -- JENNINGS: No, but your position is that we cannot have a decent America unless we have a Democratic administration. LATHAN: No, no, no. BERMAN: Maybe you could give a chance to have this position. What is your position? LATHAN: Well, I mean, first of all, there -- there's plenty of red to take something from that "Black Widow" actually said. There's plenty of red in Joe Biden's ledger. I'm not the hugest fan of Joe Biden, I could go back to how some of the policies of Joe Biden have affected the black community and all kinds of things, but when we're talking about decency and what we would like to see out of someone that is in a leadership position, I think even, conservatively, you could look at Donald Trump and say, you don't want to tell your kids to be that guy. You don't want to tell the young people in your world to be that guy. You don't want to tell them to bully, to dominate, to make fun of, to debase, to destroy. CHAMPION: To attack. LATHAN: That's not how you would like tell them to be. But I think that most people that look at that are objective about it could make that determination. I think it's also very rich to see some people in conservative media to be -- to criticize Colin Yost. When I watch a nonstop sycophantic cycle, a whole media machine and apparatus dedicated to worshiping Donald Trump and his every single move without an ounce of objectivity. And that's -- there's so many different places that are doing that. [23:30:00] So, look, the guy got a little outside of his body. He said his grandfather loved the dude. That's cool. I've watched Sean Hannity actually look at Donald Trump and say, Mr. President, I know that's not what you meant. What are you talking about? Like it's what he said. So, I just think hold the incredulousness for a little bit and let's have some fun. BERMAN: We have a few -- just a few seconds before we're going to go to break here. I want to take a poll on a very serious matter. How many people think that Colin Jost ran the joke by Scarlett Johansson before he said it out loud on that stage? You think yes? 100 percent? CUPP: Listen, as a wife, I'm pretty sure he ran that joke by her and got clearance. Not for just that, though, probably all of them. OK. OK. JENNINGS: Ran it by their attorneys. SIDNER: In your mind -- don't do it. Don't do it, Scott. JENNINGS: I'm just saying. I'm just saying. If I were in his shoes, I would run it by whoever I had. CHAMPION: Happy wife, happy life. CUPP: Happy wife, happy life, right? BERMAN: All right. We are going to take a quick break here again. We have much more to discuss. I want to talk a little bit more about President Biden's short but pointed speech. I mean, this was a speech about Donald Trump, whom he called Donald repeatedly. SIDNER: Yes. He actually named, and he doesn't often do that. He usually doesn't say his name. BERMAN: OK. Much more, right after this very important break. (COMMERCIAL BREAK) [23:35:00] (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) JOST: I'll be honest with you, I don't have a lot of time. I need to get back to New York because I'm juror number five on a big trial. Trump's lawyer took one look at me and he's like, he's got to be on our side. (END VIDEO CLIP) SIDNER: All right. Joining us now, long-time late-night watcher Bill Carter, who is now the editor at large of a new website called "Late Nighter." It's perfect. BERMAN: Perfect. SIDNER: What did you think? There were some things nobody, I think, was expecting, especially Colin Jost at the very end there. BILL CARTER, EDITOR AT LARGE, "LATE NIGHTER": Yes, that was unusual, I would say, and I'm tempted to say that Colin was decent. But I think he was a little better than that. I think he was good, but I think what people don't realize is he was a little out of his comfort zone. Because, you know, if you see him on the show, he's not really a stand up, he does material -- and there are visuals to illustrate what he says. And you don't get that in this kind of arena. So, that's one big change for him, I think. So, I think he was a little nervous and a little off. He didn't have a tremendous number of explosive jokes. He had many good jokes. He only had two or three jokes I thought were kind of explosive. I noticed you didn't mention one that I thought was interesting where he said, you know, something about, you know, it's refreshing not to have a president where the first thing is a bailiff saying, you know, you have to stand up for a trial. You know, he definitely had some material like that. I thought that the grandfather thing was very -- it was emotional. I thought he almost choked up about it. And I could see why, he was talking about his grandfather. And let's face it, if you're talking about most comedians, most entertainers, they're probably not Trump supporters. They're probably going to hold back on things like that. But he did tell jokes about Biden that were critical in their way, but not -- they weren't, like, pointed where he was going to, like, tear a piece of his flesh out. Where you've heard a few of those in the past, like the famous Seth Meyers joke about Biden -- I mean, about Trump running as a Republican, he thought he was going to run as a joke. That was a very big, pointed left hook, you know, from the left. And you didn't see a lot of that out of Colin tonight, but I think he did quite well. BERMAN: You raise a good point, and just the style of comedy that Colin Jost is used to and the comedy tradition he comes from, and how he's trained, it was a lot of one-liners. I mean, it was one-liner -- it was -- you know, it was joke, one line joke, one line joke, one line joke. And then, when he shifted to the story about his grandfather, in which there were funny lines, it was almost as if it was an entirely separate thing, and the comedy was almost entirely separate as well. It was a different way of being a comedian, and in some ways -- and I'm not commenting on the near endorsement or putting endorsement in quotes there, but the comedy may have been more effective in that part. CARTER: That's storytelling comedy. You're absolutely right, John. That's not one line, one line, that's a story. He's telling a story. That's storytelling comedy. And I thought he was kind of more himself there. You know, because it was personal, it was -- and the same thing when he mentioned Scarlet, obviously, that was very personal. And you could sort of feel his humanity. I think it's also interesting to note this guy probably will be criticized by conservatives as one of the elite. This guy is from Staten Island. His grandfather was a firefighter. This is not an elite guy, OK. Yes, he went to Harvard. He's a very bright guy, but I mean, he's -- he can connect with those people. BERMAN: And he's married to Scarlett Johansson. You know, again, which is just like everybody. CARTER: Yes, exactly. BERMAN: Just like every man, reeks of every man. CARTER: But he got to that level because he's smart, and by the way, he's kind of a good-looking guy. So, that probably helped too. SIDNER: Just a little. Bill, I'm curious what you thought of Joe Biden. He usually does not say president -- Former President Trump's name. He did quite a bit here and went after him. CARTER: He did. He -- well, I think he saw it as an opportunity. He's campaigning right now. That was kind of one-third campaign speech, and two-thirds, you know, kind of the typical presidential comedy at one of these. He was making the point that it's the -- you know, democracy is at stake and that you have this guy who, you know, made all these outrageous statements and et cetera. So, that was a little bit off from what you would expect, but it is like an election year and it's very unusual how often does this happen to be running against the same guy again who was just president? That's very, very unusual. I thought it was shorter, which was probably smart. I thought it wasn't as funny as some of the others. He was funnier last year, for example. Obama was very, very funny. But many presidents have not been nearly that funny. He had a fantastic joke about his vice president endorsed him. That was a great joke. He had a really effective explosive joke there. [23:40:00] So, I thought overall his performance was good, but it wasn't as good as last year. It was a little off for me because he went overboard maybe in campaigning rather than being, you know, a performer at the event. SIDNER: Yes, the joke that he made was age is the only thing that Donald Trump and I have in common with the exception of my vice president actually endorses me. BERMAN: Yes. SIDNER: And that got a huge laugh. CARTER: Right. BERMAN: You told it just as well. Well done. Sara Sidner. Well, Bill Carter, great to see you. I would say thanks for staying up late, but this is what you do. I think you probably stayed up late to watch more comedy than any person in America. So, thank you. CARTER: Yes, and I've seen most of the 50 years of "Saturday Night Live." So -- BERMAN: All on tape, because you're such a young man. Bill Carter, great to see you, as always. Thank you very, very much. CARTER: Thanks. BERMAN: All right. This is CNN Special Live Coverage, post-game of the White House Correspondents' Dinner. Some of our smartest conversation, right after the break. (COMMERCIAL BREAK) [23:45:00] (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) JOST: My "Weekend Update" co-anchor, Michael Che, was going to join me here tonight, but in solidarity with President Biden, I decided to lose all my black support. (END VIDEO CLIP) BERMAN: All right. That was Colin Jost at the White House Correspondents' Dinner. And again, as with most comedy, there is an element of it's funny but it's true because it's true, right? Because President Biden has had issues with the African-American vote, a bit softer than it was four years ago. We are back with the best White House Correspondents' Dinner panel in the history of this fine dinner. And joining us, to only make it better, is Samantha Barry, editor-in-chief of Glamour. And, Sam, you noticed some certain jokes and some certain subjects matters that we haven't touched on yet. SAMANTHA BARRY, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, GLAMOUR: Yes, it's funny, but it's true. The abortion joke was the one that I was listening and waiting for because, yes, there's all these jokes about Sleepy Joe and the trial, but abortion is going to be a massive ballot mover in this election. He -- Colin Jost's joke was -- it was fun, it was kind of throwaway, it was like, I can't believe that in New York, Playboy has taken away your abortion rights and an 80-year-old Catholic man is going to give them back to you? But what it did -- that did touch on for me, because I was waiting for that to come up, is that we have seen how much abortion has changed even the small ballots, right? You've seen in Arizona recently three Republicans go over the aisle to try to repeal that draconian 1984 -- 1994 measure. You've seen in Alabama after the IVF ruling that there was a 33-point swing to a Democrat, which was, abortion is going to be the campaign issue this year. And there was one joke -- there was a lot of jokes about sleeping and age, but I honestly think that's much more of a campaign issue than was touched on tonight. SIDNER: OK. So, there was a couple of other jokes. And I know, S.E., you just -- you are just chomping at the bit to get to one that did get a huge -- it's one of the really big laughs, made a joke about Lauren Boebert. CUPP: I mean, I'm like a teenager, kind of. They're like the giggly, like, off color jokes, like the one about Matt Gaetz going to regular prom. BERMAN: This was President Biden, by the way, it's with Lauren Boebert. SIDNER: Yes, correct. Not Jost. Yes. CUPP: But to watch Joe Biden deliver a joke about Lauren Boebert, and I don't know if everyone knows what he was talking about. SIDNER: Well, you're going to have to tell us. CUPP: Oh, I'm so glad you asked. So, right, Lauren Boebert, congresswoman from Colorado, was at a movie theater -- I'm sorry, a theater seeing a musical. BERMAN: A live play. "Wicked." CUPP: OK, OK. Yes, yes. With a gentleman friend. And they were thrown out for doing stuff to each other inappropriately under sort of the table. I've said too much. I think you get the idea. SIDNER: We get the idea. CUPP: And you know, he made a joke about that. That is a really off- color joke for an 80 something year old man to make. And in a night, like I said earlier, that I thought was pretty tame, that really stood out for being different. I thought. Yes. The other -- JENNINGS: I'm sorry, are you not allowed to do that in the theater? I thought this was America. BERMAN: It's a different kind of Republican Party. SIDNER: Yes. BERMAN: It's a different kind of Republican Party right now. SIDNER: I blushed, I blushed. When you are constantly talking about children and inappropriate, you know, sexualization and then you're sitting in a theater where there are children and you're doing it, this is where the joke actually makes sense. I do want to ask you guys what you think about one thing we haven't not discussed, and that is Joe Biden talking about the bible that Donald Trump is selling. And then he says, when he reads the part is no other God should go before me, that's when Donald Trump puts it down and said, this book is not for me. What did you think, Scott? JENNINGS: Oh, I think Biden leans on religion when it's convenient for him. And then he conveniently forgets his Catholicism when it's not convenient for some of his policy choices. But, you know -- CUPP: Sorry. Can you take a joke? Like, I don't know. I get it. This is what we normally do. JENNINGS: I take one every day. CUPP: But, Scott, Scott, Scott, Donald Trump is selling bibles. There's something inherently hilarious and absurd about that. JENNINGS: I'm not endorsing it, but the idea that Joe Biden avowed Catholic is like the paragon of religious virtue. CUPP: Who said that? JENNINGS: He presents himself that way. CUPP: Oh, come on, no. He made a joke that was sitting there, ready to be taken. Make this joke about Trump selling bibles. BERMAN: I just want to go back and say it one more time here, because again, on the abortion issue, that is the one Colin Jost made there. But President Biden did talk about Donald Trump a lot. His speech was about Donald Trump. BARRY: More than I expected it to be, to be fair. I think what you've seen from Biden of late is really -- and the Democratic Party in general, is this kind of avoidance of bringing up Trump's name or talking about him directly, and I think it's almost like a shift in campaign tonight, where it was like, no, we're going to address it. We're going to talk about him. We're going to make fun of him. [23:50:00] I think one of the jokes that landed for me when he leaned into his age, but he said, I'm an old man running against a six-year-old. So, I think that was one of the ones that landed for me. LATHAN: One of the biggest criticisms of the Democratic Party that I hear from people that I talked to is that they seem soft. They seem like cowards. They seem like weaklings. They seem like people who aren't like willing to go to the mattresses for things that they tell us that are so important. And sometimes when you're paying attention to this race, it seems as if they're waiting for Donald Trump to implode, for him to lose the election. They don't want to go take it. It's the most important election in the world, we don't want to go take it. We don't want to take a step back and pop the bully in the mouth. It seemed like he started to try to get there a little bit tonight. BERMAN: All right. Everyone, thank you all very much. You've all been wonderful and all been wonderful good sports. Open bar. SIDNER: For the past five hours. BERMAN: Open bar in the green room right after this. A quick break. We are going to have the very best of Harry Enten's red carpet experience coming up. (COMMERCIAL BREAK) [23:55:00] SIDNER: You're watching the special coverage of the White House Correspondents' Dinner here. Thank you so much for watching our coverage tonight. That five hours went by like that. BERMAN: And thank you so much for being here. This was a -- SIDNER: It was fun. BERMAN: -- joyous evening. Now, right before we go, here's the kind of best of Harry Enten on the red carpet. Good night everybody. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You need a hype person, like a Flava Flav. COATES: I'll be Harry Enten's Vanna White. ENTEN: I want it to be your Vanna White. You took it away from me. So, the idea of a room full of Harrys is probably the greatest nightmare that could ever be inflicted upon the American public. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's a slightly bit more of a nightmare hanging out with Harry every Saturday night, but still, because all you would do would be talking numbers or weather. ENTEN: You know, I went to Men's Wearhouse, but I should have gone to Fetterman's warehouse. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're in love. ENTEN: Oh, my god. This is the greatest thing. Do you set your TiVo or your receiver in order to know when I'm up at the magic wall? UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You know, I do. COATES: I love you. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You're who I wanted to meet. COATES: You're who I wanted to meet. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Can I give you a hug? ENTEN: I feel so jealous right now. I want to tell you, I took a poll of one person at this dinner myself, and I will say that that poll says Forrest Sanchez (ph) A plus. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That is very kind. That is incredibly kind. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Is that within the margin of error? UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I live at CNN actually. I think you've slept at the bureau once or twice too, right? ENTEN: I may or may not have had an inflatable mattress. COATES: What women want at the end of the night are flat shoes, am I right? UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, but we also don't want to look like this. ENTEN: Colin ran away. He heard that I was going to be delivering a tough interview and he was like, bye. COATES: You know what, you were going to do a tough interview, weren't you? ENTEN: Yes. COATES: You shouldn't have. I mean, you have to be nice to Staten Island. What's wrong with you? ENTEN: Are we actually doing a good job this evening so far? UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think you're doing a stellar job. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I haven't seen a star yet, and I've been looking at myself for hours. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She is here because she also plays a journalist in "Superman." This is Lois Lane, everyone. You are now in the presence of Lois Lane. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, thank you. ENTEN: Apparently, we have the technology at CNN to make a badge for Lois Lane. But does that mean that I'm Clark Kent? UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I like this red carpet. It's very pulled together. It's very elegant. You know what I mean? ENTEN: Like you? UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Like me. COATES: With Harry, it's so much fun. (END VIDEO CLIP) (COMMERCIAL BREAK) [00:00:00]