Biden keeps up his attack on 'sleepy Don' with a slew of jokes aimed at Trump at the White House Correspondents' dinner

• Joe Biden used his speech at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner to mock Donald Trump.
• "Yes, age is an issue. I'm a grown man, running against a six-year-old," Biden said.
• Biden has been using humorous and sarcastic jabs to ramp up his attacks on Trump.

Often referred to as Washington's "nerd prom," hundreds of journalists, politicians, and celebrities rubbed shoulders on Saturday evening at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner.

The evening often features a roast from the president that takes aim at reporters and other guests in the audience. But this year, Joe Biden used the speech to mock his Republican rival in the 2024 election race, Donald Trump.

"Yes, age is an issue. I'm a grown man, running against a six-year-old," Biden quipped, referring to concerns in the media about him being too old and mentally unfit to run for the presidency. Biden is 81. Trump is 77.

Biden then mocked Trump for falling out with his former vice-president, Mike Pence, who defied him over the 2020 election result and in March refused to endorse his former boss.

Biden said: "Age is the only thing we have in common. My vice-president actually endorses me."

The president also made comments about Trump's hush money trial taking place in New York, where he stands accused of falsifying business records to cover up a hush money payment to adult film performer Stormy Daniels.

He called his 2024 election opponent "sleepy Don," referring to reports that the former president had dozed off during court proceedings.

"Donald has had a few tough days lately," Biden said. "You might call it Stormy weather."

Biden's jokes offensive

Using humorous jabs against Trump at the White House Correspondents' dinner platformed a growing theme of Biden's reelection strategy as he ramps up his attacks on his 2024 opponent.

Trump has long used derogatory nicknames and wordplays against his political competitors. He dubbed Biden "sleepy Joe" and called Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, his main opponent in the Republican primaries, "Ron DeSanctimonious."

At the North America's Building Trades Unions Washington DC conference last week, where Biden received the union's endorsement, the president got personal with Trump when he joked, "Remember when he was trying to deal with COVID, and he said just inject a little bleach in your vein? He missed. It all went to his hair."

The Union audience stood and applauded, a report said. Biden added: "I shouldn't have said that."

The president's campaign has also referred to Trump, who claims he is a multibillionaire but struggled to pay a court-ordered $454m bond, as "Broke Don."

It appears to be a shift for Biden, who just a month ago refused to go further than referring to Trump as "my predecessor" in his State of the Union speech.

Trump responded to Biden's Saturday comments on his Truth Social platform, saying, "The White House Correspondents' Dinner was really bad. Colin Jost BOMBED, and Crooked Joe was an absolute disaster! Doesn't get much worse than this!"

Later in his White House Correspondents' speech, Biden also delivered some light-hearted jokes at the media's expense. "Some of you complained that I don't take enough of your questions. No comment," he chuckled.

He added: "The New York Times issued a statement blasting me for 'actively 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."

The president concluded his speech more seriously, urging the media to bear the implications of November's election in mind.

"Move past the horse-race numbers and the gotcha moments, and the distractions, the sideshows that have come to dominate and sensationalise our politics and focus on what's actually at stake," he said.