Comedy was also back with “The Daily Show” host Trevor Noah as the headliner.
WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 30: Pete Davidson and Kim Kardashian attend the 2022 White House Correspondents' Association Dinner at Washington Hilton on April 30, 2022 in Washington, DC. In a return to some normalcy, journalists, government officials and celebrities paraded down the red carpet Saturday night at the annual White House press corps gala even as the threat of COVID-19 loomed over the massive hotel ballroom.
That raised questions about whether the 79-year-old Biden should attend Saturday’s dinner. The president planned to pass up the meal but turn up later for the program. He also planned to be masked when not speaking. The White House Correspondents’ Association said it was requiring same-day antigen testing for its dinner attendees even before the Gridiron outbreak. It then added a vaccination requirement.
Psaki said Biden’s decision to attend "does stand in stark contrast to his predecessor, who not only questioned the legitimacy of the press on a nearly daily basis, but also never attended the dinner." Trump, who at times branded the media "the enemy of the people," had gleefully boycotted the event as president.
"Imagine if we weren’t getting that information," the president added. "It would be a different world." After comedian Michelle Wolf’s sharp satire sparked controversy in 2018, the event the following year featured historian Ron Chernow. The return of celebrities this time recalls President Barack Obama’s administration, when the likes of George Clooney, Charlize Theron and Viola Davis attended.