Government: Biden defends freedom of the press at media gala

US President Joe Biden vehemently spoke out in favor of press freedom at the Washington Press Corps gala dinner. A free press is the pillar of a free society, not its enemy, said Biden, referring to his predecessor Donald Trump, who had repeatedly described journalists as “enemies of the people”.

This year’s press gala featured journalists unjustly imprisoned for doing their job, such as Evan Gershkovich of the Wall Street Journal, who is in prison in Russia.

But the gala, which was attended by numerous journalists from the capital, as well as stars such as John Legend and Chrissy Teigen, is traditionally also an occasion to make fun of the President. Biden started it himself. Based on his age, the President told the around 2,600 guests that he liked the first amendment to the constitution, which enshrines freedom of the press, not only because James Madison, who wrote the clause in the 18th century, was a good one be his friend.

Even the keynote speaker of the evening, comedian Roy Wood, could not resist a dig at Biden’s age. In France, people are demonstrating against raising the retirement age to 64, and in the US, an 80-year-old is begging to be allowed to work four more years, Wood said, referring to Biden’s decision announced on Tuesday to run for a second term. Biden himself had to laugh too.

Overall, however, this year was more serious than in some previous years. The truth is buried by lies and the lies live on as truth, said Biden, probably also with regard to the claim made by Trump and many of his supporters and repeatedly refuted that the result of the 2020 presidential election was falsified. This fuels hatred and anger and endangers democracy, Biden warned.