White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner: Joe Biden To Return Tradition Of Presidential Schtick, D.C. And L.A. Notables Gather For Pre-Show Events

deadline.com:

Joe Biden is moving forward with plans to attend at least a portion of Saturday night’s White House Correspondents’ Association dinner, returning to the tradition of presidential schtick for the 100-year-plus-old event.Biden is expected to come on in the 9:00 PM ET/6:00 PT hour, and he’s planning to skip the dinner portion for the post-meal entertainment.

That has included the president’s own material, as well as that of the featured entertainer this year, Trevor Noah.As vice president, Biden appeared in comedy videos along with Julia Louis-Dreyfus, but he otherwise left attendance at the dinner to Barack Obama, whose material often was so well-received it overshadowed the featured comedian.

Biden will be the first president to address the dinner since Barack Obama in 2016, as Donald Trump skipped the events during his term.White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said that Biden has consulted with comedians in crafting his material, but she did not name them. “I will tell you the President has a very good sense of humor and is working hard on his own speech,” she said.On Friday, Psaki quipped to reporters, “I will lower expectations and say it’s not funny at all.

Just kidding.”Vinay Reddy, Biden’s speechwriter, and senior adviser Mike Donilon were reportedly helping the president prepare his remarks.The dinner itself typically brings a sometimes surreal mixture of celebrity and policy wonk, something that was apparent on in the flood of pre-dinner parties and receptions.On Friday night, at UTA’s party at Fiola Mare, Pat Sajak was in the mix along with Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas.