While the event was cringeworthy during the Trump years, I think this years WHCD was a good “back to normal” moment for the country. Trevor Noah is a treat and President Biden did a fairly good job poking fun at himself and his predecessor. They both ended with a serious note that journalists abroad in authoritarian regimes risk their lives so the ones in a democracy have an obligation to tell the truth and call out lies. While last night event hardly rises to the level of classic WHCDs from the Obama years or the 07 Colbert skewering of then President George W Bush, it was still a nice break from the sense of malaise creeping over this president.
As an aside, I am also not sure why we see so little of Biden. Last night he came across as so much more presidential than his predecessor and has a healthy sense of humor paired with that trademark empathy. I think Biden on the stump could actually be the shot in the arm congressional democrats need.
I very much agree that Biden needs to get out more. I also loved his explanation for why it’s been so long since a President attended a WHCD – “We endured a horrible plague, followed by two years of COVID!”