Biden mocked Trump Saturday—but here's what he didn't say

The MoJo Daily newsletter, Monday through Friday. [View in browser]( [Support our nonprofit journalism]( [Mother Jones Daily Newsletter](     April 29, 2024 At the [White House Correspondents' Dinner](, the president becomes a comedian for a night. It's a tradition for the commander-in-chief to deliver punchlines about himself, his political opponents, and other major figures in pop culture at the annual gathering of reporters, politicians, and celebrities. (Remember Obama [mocking]( Trump and the racist birther conspiracy he [popularized]( at the 2011 dinner?) This year's dinner, which occurred Saturday night, checked those boxes: President Biden poked fun at [concerns about his age]( and mocked Trump, saying at one point, “I’m a grown man running against a 6-year-old." But other aspects of this year's event were unique. Before attendees could get inside, they had to walk through a crowd of protesters reminding them of the plight of their Palestinian counterparts struggling to cover the war in Gaza. Video [shows]( guests decked out in ball gowns and tuxedos by passing protesters chanting "shame on you," waving a Palestinian flag, and holding a sign that says "stop media complicity in genocide." Protesters also [set up]( a memorial of what resembled blood-stained press jackets on the street to honor the more than 90 Palestinian journalists [killed]( covering the war, with some protesters laying motionless on the pavement next to them, the Associated Press [reports](. Inside the event, though, it was a different story: The humanitarian crisis in Gaza wasn't mentioned at all, and the plight of Palestinian journalists was only mentioned in one speech, according to reports. It's a curious sight—and, frankly, disheartening—to see journalists and media workers utterly ignore the protesters who they'd probably otherwise be covering if they weren't the target of their critiques. So, we'll say what many of them were willing to say last month, on the one-year anniversary of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich's [detainment]( by Russian authorities: Journalism is not a crime. [Check out my story]( for the full rundown on what went down in Washington on Saturday night, and to learn about who did stop to engage the protesters. (Sadly...she's not a journalist.) —Julianne McShane P.S. Speaking of press freedom: Did you check out [this week's episode of Reveal](? It's about authoritarian governments marshaling Pegasus, a military-grade surveillance software, to spy on journalists. In this episode, Reveal partners with the Shoot the Messenger podcast to investigate one of the biggest Pegasus hacks ever uncovered. Scary stuff. [Listen to it]( wherever you get your podcasts. Advertisement [The Workers Circle]( [Top Story] [Top Story]( [“Shame On You!”: Anti-War Protesters Picket White House Correspondents’ Dinner]( Inside, though, the plight of Palestinian journalists was largely ignored. BY JULIANNE MCSHANE SPONSORED CONTENT BY THE WORKERS CIRCLE   Join us on April 30 for a conversation with Ari Berman. The Capitol mob of Jan 6, 2021 represented a threat to American democracy: blatant defiance of majority will. Democracy's erosion predates Trump. [Join journalist Ari Berman on April 30, 7:00 PM ET](, as he explores efforts to subvert democracy in his new book, Minority Rule: The Right-Wing Attack on the Will of the People—and the Fight to Resist It. [Trending] [SCOTUS v. pregnant patients: How Idaho's abortion fight could blow up one of America's most "revolutionary" health care laws]( BY NINA MARTIN   [Not even Leonard Leo could turn Brent Orrin Hatch into Utah's next senator]( BY STEPHANIE MENCIMER   [Just six companies create about a quarter of global plastic waste, survey finds]( BY JOSEPH WINTERS   [Kristi Noem defends killing her own puppy]( BY INAE OH Advertisement [The Workers Circle]( [Special Feature] [Special Feature]( [Biden’s Israel politics are alienating a critical group: young people who power campaigns]( "Personally, I would have a harder time going to work for them," says one Biden 2020 staffer. BY ABBY VESOULIS MOTHER JONES MEMBERSHIP UPDATE   An important update on our finances We’re falling behind our online fundraising goals—and we can’t sustain coming up short on [donations]( month after month. 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