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CNN Live Event/Special

CNN Special Coverage; White House Correspondents' Dinner. Aired 10-11p ET

Aired April 27, 2024 - 22:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

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[22:00:00]

KAREN TRAVERS, WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT, ABC NEWS: That's earned, ladies and gentlemen. That's earned. Once again, congratulations to Ed and Rodney, and thank you all very much.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: For decades of correspondence dinners, presidents have peacefully, yet comically, jabbed their political rivals and detractors. In 2011, Barack Obama roasted a private citizen.

BARACK OBAMA, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: Donald Trump is here tonight. Obviously, we all know about your credentials and breadth of experience. For example -- no, seriously, just recently, in an episode of "Celebrity Apprentice," at the steakhouse, the men's cooking team did not impress the judges from Omaha Steaks.

And there was a lot of blame to go around, but you, Mr. Trump, recognized that the real problem was a lack of leadership. And so, ultimately, you didn't blame Little John or Meatloaf, you fired Gary Busey. And these are the kind of decisions that would keep me up at night.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What was Donald Trump thinking? Would he recover from this? Tonight, your answer.

MATT FRIEND, COMEDIAN: Well, I will tell you it is really a tremendous opportunity to be at the most failed dinner anybody's ever seen. Great to see you, losers. A lot of people say that. Hello, everybody. Why is it so quiet? What's happening? It's quieter than Sleepy Joe.

Hello, Joe. How are you? Great to see you. We're going to debate, right? That's what they're saying. There's a lot of stars here. There's a lot of great people. There's Scarlett Johannesburg (ph). Scarlett is here from "Black Widow." I love the blacks. I really love the blacks. It's true. You have a lot of people that could potentially be a vice president. You have Lara Trump, who's a lot better than Ronna McDonald. Who's who doesn't love Ronna McDonald, right? I'm loving it. Who like -- you like a happy meal, right? You like that.

But I will tell you this dinner -- you're so tight. It's so uptight, right? This dinner is sadder than Taylor Swift's new album, the tortured president's department, right? He's -- look at him with a white tuxedo. He doesn't like me too much, right?

But I will tell you the Chinese apps are being banned. It's horrible. We have to post our David Peckers on Snapchat now. That's what they're saying. Let's face it, folks. I'm on fire right now. Like the guy outside the courthouse, right? Not soon enough. Not soon enough. But I will tell you, I am killing this dinner harder than Kristi Noem kills the puppies. Moving on, please.

Even Bernie has something to say. Mr. Trump, you have no idea what the ordinary experiences everyday Americans are. I am concerned with battling the ruthless dictators like Vladimir Putin. Can we all agree on that? Can we all agree? Even Mitch would agree with that right now. Mitch?

Well, let me begin by stating what a privilege it is to be at this dinner celebrating ordinary Americans and African-Americans. Scoobity doo. And let me toss it to Barack to close it out.

Everybody, D.C., you've been a lot of fun. And I have to close it out by saying, when I was on the campaign trail in 2008, I led a chant with the crowd, and I would say, you're fired up. The crowd would say, I'm ready to go. So, you have a long show. Are you fired up? You're fired up? I'm ready to go. Goodnight, guys. Back to Kelly. Thank you so much.

Goodnight. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. President.

KELLY O'DONNELL, PRESIDENT, WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENTS' ASSOCIATION: Talk about making an impression. You have just seen a man of more than 200 voices who can capture the essence of anyone. So, please give it up for Matt Friend. Thank you, Matt.

Putting this evening together is just one part, one important part of being president of our association. I'm happy to welcome a good friend who will succeed me later this summer. And we promise a peaceful transition. Please welcome from Politico, Eugene Daniels.

EUGENE DANIELS, WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT, POLITICO: Good evening, good evening. And now, for the best part of the evening, the scholarship students. Don't worry, Mr. President, Colin, I'm sure people are looking forward to hearing from you as well.

[22:05:00]

The WHCA history spans 110 years, but we are also very focused on the future and young journalists who aspire to report on government, politics, and the White House themselves one day.

In 1991, our association began this commitment to give back and, most importantly, lift up promising students. Not only financial help, but WHCA mentors make a yearlong commitment to work with these students, offering advice and encouragement. And we all know what a difference that can make. None of us would be here without opportunity and support, and most importantly, again, people who are ready and willing to lift us up. We have built important partnerships to extend the reach of our giving, and our dinner is the primary fundraiser for our association and our scholarship. So, thank you for your support and your checks. Thank you very much.

Tonight, we congratulate 30 students from 16 colleges and universities around the country. Friday, they received a tour of the White House, received a briefing with senior adviser to the President, Anita Dunn, and got amazing advice from journalists who'd literally been in their shoes. I can tell you from experience, they are bright, brilliant, and ready to take all of our jobs. Let's meet them.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: This is CNN's special live coverage of the White House Correspondents Dinner. An exciting night. A celebration of journalism. Very shortly, we will hear from President Biden and Colin Jost. Stay with us.

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[22:10:00]

?SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: You are watching our special cover of the White House Correspondents Dinner. There is Joe Biden. We are waiting for him to speak very shortly, as well as SNL's Colin Jost. Let's listen in.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CROWD: We're White House Pressies.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Of course, we move press out of the Oval.

CROWD: Thank you, press. Thank you, press.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

O'DONNELL: I too am a White House correspondent, and of course, of course, I appreciate the good humor of colleagues who wanted to take you behind the scenes. This is one night where we celebrate, we laugh, hopefully at ourselves. We take a breath and a beat before we get back to work. With a world on edge, a nation weary but resilient, a campaign that is not the echo of four years ago, however, familiar the names and the issues. All of this, all of it, is a heck of a story.

Our White House Correspondents' Association includes more than 800 journalists from all branches of the news business. We are 250 news organizations, and our members represent 39 countries. Covering news that emanates from the White House and around the world.

Our work at its best seeks information and accountability, not specific outcomes. In that vein, we ask questions. We often shout questions. We would welcome more opportunities to pose them in a calm and measured way. We strive for knowledge, not noise.

These days, with the boundless resources of taxpayers and donors, and the skill of marketing experts, any White House or campaign can create its own content. We believe that independent professional journalists on hand to document the events of a presidency are stewards of something precious, more enduring than any news cycle or trending topic. We preserve the historical record, part of the legacy of the First Amendment.

Our association acts as the primary voice supporting a sprawling press corps with many separate employers. We advocate and organize for press access around all daily events, foreign and domestic trips, and then we tackle things like workspace facilities and membership activities.

I am grateful to our board for all of your hard work, and a special thank you to our executive director, Steve Thoma, for your expertise and dedication. Thank you, Steve.

My gratitude is multiplying because this week marks a career anniversary for me. 30 years with NBC News. I am very lucky. I'm very lucky.

Mr. President, I think that might have been a plodding age there, I don't know.

I am optimistic that we can do more to demonstrate that a free press serves democracy. Even when truth can be tough to discern and trust is hard to earn and maintain. Even when some of our fellow citizens tune us out, we have work to do to understand the difference between reporting and posting, to use our voices to inform and not to inflame.

Those close to me know that I have been counting the days to this dinner for months, but I knew there are others in our news community who've been counting too, for very different reasons. At the Wall Street Journal, they are counting for Moscow correspondent Evan Gershkovich. 396 days since he was jailed in Russia. The U.S. government has designated Evan was wrongfully detained. And Evan's parents and his family are with us tonight. And we are with you, always.

We remember Austin Tice, 4,276 days, nearly 12 years since he was kidnapped in Syria. His mother Debra is with us. And Mrs. Tice, we are with you.

And, Mr. President, again, we humbly ask that you do everything you can to bring them home.

[22:15:00]

Our profession can be perilous. Since October, about 100 journalists have been killed, most of those deaths in Gaza, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists. Around the world, more than 320 reporters imprisoned as of December, including an American with dual Russian citizenship, Alsu Kurmasheva, who works for the U.S. funded Radio Free Europe Radio Liberty. She has been jailed in Russia since October.

Here at home, there are different challenges. Online threats. Hostility vented at reporters on the job. And anxiety is about a paycheck. Layoffs have hit our business very hard this year. For news consumers who believe that a free press is essential, demonstrate that belief with a subscription. Show that professionally gathered news is a product you value. And we owe you our best efforts and our highest standards.

So, I have a ritual that began years ago when I first started on the beat. That no matter what is going on, I make a point to think about this every time I walk through the gates. I remember that I am the granddaughter of Irish immigrants who came here with little and believed in a big, bright future.

I recognize that any day could shift from quiet to consequential, upended by unexpected events. History could pivot that very day. So, I ask myself, will I be ready? Will I be worthy? Will you?

Past WHCA presidents are out in the audience tonight. I can see our press corps, please stand up. Former board members of the WHCA, please stand. Our chief White House correspondents, please stand. Our current correspondents, reporters, producers, visual, and broadcast journalists on this beat, please stand. Colleagues who have previously covered the White House, I am so proud of all of you.

And join me, join me in a tradition where we show our respect for the office we cover. On this night, a toast to the First Amendment and to the president. Mr. President.

And now, I get to say words those Irish grandparents and my mom and dad never thought were possible, I'm honored to welcome the 46th president of the United States, Joe Biden.

JOE BIDEN, U.S. PRESIDENT: Thank you, thank you, thank you. If you think your Irish grandparents are wondering, my great, great grandparents would get here in 1846. Everyone, what in the hell's going on?

I want to thank you for the warm welcome, but please not so loud. Donald was listening. Sleepy Don. I kind of like that. I may use that again.

Kelly O'Donnell, president of White House Correspondents' Association, thank you for having me.

O'DONNELL: Thank you, sir.

BIDEN: For Kelly 'O, let's be honest, you're way too young to be president.

It's been a year since I delivered this speech and my wife Jill was with me tonight, was worried how I do. I told her don't worry, just like riding the bike. See, that's what I'm worried about.

Of course, the 2024 election is in full swing. And yes, age is an issue. I'm a grown man running against a six-year-old. Well, I feel great. I really feel great. I'm campaigning all over the country. Pennsylvania, Georgia, North Carolina. I've always done well in the original 13 colonies. And speaking of history, did you hear what Donald just said about the major Civil War battle? Cool. Gettysburg. Wow. Trump's speech was so embarrassing the statue of Robert E. Lee surrendered again.

But look, age is the only thing we have in common. My vice president actually endorses me.

[22:20:00]

I had a great stretch since the State of the Union. Well, Donald has had a few tough days lately. You might call it stormy weather. What the hell?

Trump's so desperate he started reading those bibles he's selling. Then he got to the first commandment, you shall have no other gods before me. That's when he put it down and said, this book's not for me. Look, being here is a reminder that folks think what's going on in Congress is political theater. That's not true. Congress were theater that have thrown out Lauren Boebert a long time ago.

To all my friends in the press, and Fox News, some of you complain that I don't take enough of your questions. No comment. Of course, "The New York Times" issued a statement blasting me for "active 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. It's OK.

I have a higher standard. I do interviews with strong, independent journalists who millions of people actually listen to, like Howard Stern. And I know you're looking around and saying, this guy's been doing this for 50 years. He's had his moment. Give someone else a chance. To say that, I say, Lauren, ignore the critics. Ignore the critics.

Lauren's a great friend who's had eight comedians play me over the years on "Saturday Night Live," eight. And who the hell says I'm not a real job creator.

Look, Lauren's had even more comedians and actors joke about me. Like the funny guy in "Weekend Update," Michael Shay. He's hilarious.

Scarlett Johansson, you did such an incredible job in your State of the Union rebuttal that you should be weekend of the "Weekend Update." Clearly. You're the funny one in the family.

Look, folks, on a serious note, in addition to marrying up, Colin and I have another thing in common, we both find strength in family. I got to spend some time with his family yesterday in the Oval Office. Colin's dad was a high school teacher in Staten Island, and his mom is an incredible woman. A family of firefighters, was chief medical officer in New York City Fire Department on 9/11.

As a doctor, she rushed to ground zero, risking her own life, treating and saving fellow first responders. Rushing into danger for others is my definition of patriotism and heroism. And so is what all of you do when you report truth over lies. That's why I want to close the night with my genuine thanks to the free press. There are some who call you the enemy of the people, that's wrong and it's dangerous. You literally risk your lives doing your job. You do. Covering everything from natural disasters to pandemics to wars and so much more. And some of your colleagues have given their lives and many have suffered grievous injuries. Other reporters have lost their freedom. Journalism is clearly not a crime, not here, not there, not anywhere in the world.

And Putin should release Evan and Austin immediately. Yes, we're doing everything we can. We're doing everything we can to bring home journalists, fellow journalists, Austin and all Americans like Paul Whelan, you know, who are wrongfully detained all around the world.

I give him orders of Biden, we're not going to give up until we get them home. All of them, all of them.

[22:25:00]

On the third anniversary of January 6th, I went to Valley Forge and I said, the most urgent question of our time is whether democracy is still, is still the sacred cause of America. That is the question the American people must answer this year. And you, the free press, play a critical role in making sure the American people have the information they need to make an informed decision.

A defeated former president has made no secret of his attack on our democracy. He said he wants to be a dictator on day one and so much more. He tells supporters he is their revenge and retribution. When in god's name have you ever heard of another president say something like that? And he promised a bloodbath when he loses again. We have to take this seriously.

Eight years ago, you could have written off as just Trump talk, but no longer, not after January 6th. I'm sincerely not asking of you to take sides, but I'm asking you to rise up to the seriousness of the moment, move past the horse race numbers and the gotcha moments and the distractions, the sideshows that have come to dominate, sensationalize our politics and focus on what's actually at stake. And I think in your hearts you know what's at stake. The stakes couldn't be higher.

Every single one of us has roles to play, a serious role to play, making sure democracy endures, American democracy. I am on my role, but with all due respect, so do you. In the age of disinformation, credible information that people can trust is more important than ever. And that makes you, and I mean this from the bottom of my heart, it makes you more important than ever.

So tonight, I'd like to make a toast to a free press, to an informed citizenry, to an America where freedom and democracy endure. God bless America.

Now, I'm going to turn it over to Kelly. Now to hear from a real comedian. I think I know what I'm in for. You know, Colin Jost has taken aim at me before with his jokes. O'DONNELL: Oh, I'm sure. Are you ready?

BIDEN: Like saying, after winning the South Carolina primary, Biden barely edged out his closest rival, time. Colin, when I win, I'm going to have a whole hell of a lot of time. And I'm going to be watching, pal.

Kelly, back to you.

O'DONNELL: Thank you, Mr. President. Thank you very much. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. President. Thank you so very much for being here and for your words in support of journalists.

And now, we turn to Colin Jost, our headline entertainer. Colin not only brings the excitement of his own charisma and talents, but his guests are strictly A-list.

In fact, I've been watching this evening as many of you have been trying to get a selfie and hoping to get close to a very special woman who is a big, big star in Colin's life. His mother, Dr. Kerry Kelly. And I know Scarlett agrees that Colin's mother is indeed a star in her own right. As the president indicated, Dr. Kelly spent nearly four decades with the New York City Fire Department. She became the first woman named the FDNY's chief medical officer, and her service included 9/11, as the president indicated, where she led triage efforts.

So, Dr. Kelly, we thank you for your good work. And as his mother, you know -- yes, Dr. Kelly, and Mr. Jost. As you know, Colin shares a lot in common with many of us here tonight, we're all fans of Scarlett Johansson.

So, for a moment, I'm going to take you back to when Colin himself was a reporter for the esteemed publication at Regis High School. The Owl. A young Colin Jost scoop, "10 Ways Not to Start an English Paper." An in-depth reporting on "Faculty Summer Plans." Then and now, Colin Jost is at the core a talented writer. That's why I wanted him here tonight. And he is now the longest serving anchor of "Weekend Update" on Saturday Night Live. Are you ready? Are you

ready?

?And he is now the longest serving anchor of "Weekend Update" on "Saturday Night Live." Are you ready? Are you ready? It is my thrill to welcome Colin Jost.

[22:30:00]

COLIN JOST, SNL HOST AND COMEDIAN: Thank you, everyone. Hello. That was hard hitting journalism you saw in The Owl. I didn't know you were going to show photos of me from high school. Yes, it's not really fair. You can't do it for President Biden because the technology wasn't invented when he was in high school. It's not really fair.

Good evening, everyone. I'm Colin Jost and I'll be delivering the Republican response. I'll be honest with you, I don't have a lot of time. I need to get back to New York because I'm juror number five on a big trial. Trump's lawyer took one look at me and he's like, he's got to be on our side.

Thank you, Kelly, for that very kind introduction. Mr. President, Dr. Biden, Vice President Harris, Doug.

Doug, as you can tell from all the comments about my wife, I'm also used to being the second gentleman. And I am honored to be here hosting what is, according to swing state polls, the final White House Correspondents' Dinner.

I hope that tonight will be a night to remember. For most of us.

I was excited to be up here on stage with President Biden tonight, mostly to see if I could figure out where Obama was pulling the strings from.

I have to admit, it's not easy following President Biden. I mean, it's not always easy following what he's saying, like -- but before I begin tonight, can we just acknowledge how refreshing it is to see a president of the United States at an event that doesn't begin with a bailiff saying, all rise.

And I would like to point out, it's after 10:00 p.m., Sleepy Joe is still awake, while Donald Trump has spent the past week falling asleep in court every morning. Though Fox News said he was just being anti- woke.

We are all here tonight at nerd prom. Well, Matt Gaetz is at regular prom, but I actually thought I saw Matt Gaetz here tonight, but it was actually just my own reflection in a spoon.

Like many of you here tonight, I pretend to do news on TV. My "Weekend Update" co-anchor, Michael Che, was going to join me here tonight, but in solidarity with President Biden, I decided to lose all my black support.

Che told me to say that, and I'm just realizing I was set up.

I've done "Weekend Update" for a while now, but most people don't know that I started out doing the actual news. My first job out of college was as a reporter for the Staten Island Advance newspaper.

[22:35:00]

They do not have a table here tonight. But they asked me to pass along this message to the other print journalists in the room, you think you're better than me?

By the way, I want to point out, when I worked at the Staten Island Advance, we had a daily circulation of 100,000. "The Washington Post" would kill for that.

So, as a former aspiring journalist, I want to genuinely congratulate all the award winners here tonight. Congratulations. The Correspondents' Association provides scholarships to promising young journalism students who may one day be sent off to cover dangerous geopolitical hotspots like Columbia University.

Tonight, this event is being televised live on C-SPAN. And if you're at home watching C-SPAN on a Saturday night, I hope they find your body soon, before your cats get to it.

There are so many incredible news organizations here tonight. Also a few credible ones. "The Washington Post" is here. "Washington Post." They were the ones taking your coats at the door. Please be sure to tip.

Fox News is here tonight. It's the end of an era. Rupert Murdoch stepped down at Fox News, which is strange. I didn't think there was a step down from Fox News.

Trump Media is here. Trump Media, not at a table, just screaming loudly in the corner to no one.

Wordle is here tonight. Sorry. Sorry. I meant "The New York Times." I forgot they do stuff in addition to puzzles.

I have to say, it's not a great sign when the only thing keeping a print media company alive are games people play on their phones. Too chilling for you guys? Room just froze faster than Mitch McConnell.

And I have to say apologies to "The Times," but as a Staten Islander, I still get all my news from "The New York Post." Thank you. The only paper where the front page always has the same 200-point font, whether the headline is, World War III to Start Tomorrow, or Central Park Owl Dead in Building Collision.

"The New York Post" is like having "The New York Times" summarized for you by a crackhead. "The Times" will say, a border deal continues to evade Congress, and "The Post" is like, these Mexicans are taking my stuff.

There are so many incredible individuals here tonight. Lara Trump is here tonight. OK, I got one woo. She recently released a cover of the song, "I Won't Back Down." Upon hearing it, Tom Petty died again.

I can't believe I'm saying this to a member of the Trump family, but maybe stick to politics?

Senator Bernie Sanders is here, because he's not the type to pass up a free hot meal.

And in general, there are so many hard-working, influential senators and congresspeople here tonight, and I just want to say, on behalf of everyone I know, stop e-mailing us.

[22:40:00]

Stop it. We get it. Democracy is on the line. And your plan to save it is to flood our inboxes like your crate and barrel. It's also wonderful to be back in Washington. I love being in Washington. The last time I was in D.C., I left my cocaine at the White House. Luckily, the president was able to put it to good use for his State of the Union.

I'm kidding, of course, the president doesn't call it cocaine, he calls it high speed rail.

By the way, can you blame the guy for turning to cocaine? He must be exhausted, orchestrating four separate trials against his rival, rigging the Super Bowl, and gearing up to steal a second election. Wow. Biden laughed.

I love, by the way, that Trump's two attacks on President Biden are that he's a senile old man and a criminal mastermind. I'm like, I think you got to pick one. Personally, I don't know any criminal masterminds who biked to get ice cream.

Also, it's not like Trump himself is young and sharp. I'm not saying both candidates are old, but you know Jimmy Carter is out there thinking, I could maybe win this thing.

He's only 99.

There is an election. There's an election six extremely long months from now. So, let me see if I can summarize where this race stands at this moment. The Republican candidate for president owes half a billion in fines for bank fraud and is currently spending his days farting himself awake during a porn star hush money trial, and the race is tied?

The race is tied. Nothing makes sense anymore. The candidate, who is a famous New York City playboy, took abortion rights away, and the guy who's trying to give you your abortion rights back is an 80-year-old Catholic. How does that sense?

By the way, President Biden, isn't it crazy that he's only our second Catholic president? And what's even crazier is that in just a few short months, we'll have our third in RFK Jr.

I'm kidding. Like his vaccine card says, he doesn't have a shot.

Everything feels strange now. By a lot of measures, President Biden is having a very successful first term, but people don't seem to realize it. Like with the economy. The vibes are bad, but the numbers say it's strong. The economy is kind of like you on the steps of Air Force One. It feels like it's stumbling, but there is somehow upward progress.

I do think that you can do more on the economy, sir. I really do. For example, have you considered eliminating the national debt by shorting Trump stock?

People keep asking if our lives are better than they were four years ago. Of course, they are. Four years ago, we didn't have online sports gambling. What more do you need? By the way, that's probably what's keeping the economy afloat. Online gambling and Taylor Swift, without those, we'd be in a recession right now.

[22:45:00]

The problem is people are always going to compare your first term to Obama's, but I think there are actually a lot of positive similarities. You both made big strides in healthcare. Obama got us out of a recession. You got us out of a pandemic. Obama got Bin Laden, you got O.J.

And by the way, now that O.J. is dead, who is the new front runner for Trump's VP? Is it Diddy?

By the way, I bet if Trump did select Diddy as his running mate, I bet this race would still be tied.

I think even some Democrats say that they are underwhelmed, but I think they're just not living in reality. Manage your expectations, people. It's like tonight. Sure, we all wish we were at the Waldorf right now, but we're at the Washington Hilton. And we have to make the best of it. Just be happy you're not at the Airport Hilton.

Journalists, these are challenging times, and we need the people in this room to help guide us through it. Your jobs are not easy, and it doesn't help that we're living at the end of traditional media. The gatekeepers are gone. Did you know that 90 percent of people now get their news exclusively from social media?

And that must be true, because I saw it in a random guy's TikTok. He was recording the video while driving a Toyota Corolla, but he seemed to know his stuff.

Isn't it crazy, by the way, that TikTok could be outlawed in the U.S. by the end of this year? That's a real shame. Because we're going to need TikTok to document who is storming the Capitol next January 6th.

Things are not bad for everyone, though. This may be the worst time in history to be a print journalist. It is the best time in history to be a courtroom sketch artist. My god, the most famous man on Earth is on trial and there's no cameras allowed, just the artists, they're pastels and their desire to make Trump look as bad as possible.

Every sketch of Trump looks like the Grinch had sex with the Lorax.

In closing, I would really like to take a moment to recognize all the print journalists in this room. Your words speak truth to power. Your words bring light to the darkness. And most importantly, your words train the A.I. programs that will soon replace you.

And finally, I wanted to thank my family, and I wanted to thank my friends for being here tonight to support me. I want to thank my wife for enduring lots of jokes, and for agreeing to individually meet everyone in this room right after the ceremony. That is -- that's really special, honey. Thank you. Don't be shy. Come right up. She hates privacy.

And with my family in mind, I wanted to share one last thing with you before I go, and I wanted to share one thing with you, Mr. President, before I go. I lost my grandfather this year, as you alluded to, a firefighter, William Kelly. He's the reason that our son's middle name is William. He helped raise me growing up and I would not be here today without him.

My grandpa was a firefighter on Staten Island for 40 years to make extra money for his family. He was a substitute teacher and he painted houses. And since it's Staten Island, I should point out it's not like this Scorsese Irishman painting houses. He was not a mafia hitman, he actually painted houses.

[22:50:00]

The FBI is here. I don't want to start a whole thing.

My grandfather was another rare Irishman who didn't drink because he lost his father and his brother to alcoholism. And I swear, Mr. President, this is not an age comparison. You remind me of him. Some of your best qualities remind me of his. And I will say he was 95 and he was still great at stairs. I think it's because he didn't try to run up them.

But the reason that I bring up my grandfather, and I don't know if you know -- realize, Mr. President, but Staten Island firefighters are not normally your demographic. Staten Island voted about 70 percent for Trump in the last election, and the other 30 percent was for Giuliani.

But Staten Island also sided with the British during the Revolutionary War. So, we're not always on the right side of history. You remember.

But my grandfather, a Staten Island firefighter, voted for you, Mr. President. He voted for you in the last election that he ever voted in. I mean, I'm sure someone else will vote twice in this election using his name, but that's just how the democratic machine works.

He voted for you, and the reason that he voted for you is because you're a decent man.

My grandpa voted for decency, and decency is why we're all here tonight. Decency is how we're able to be here tonight.

Decency is how we're able to make jokes about each other, and one of us doesn't go to prison after. We go to the Newsmax after party.

And when you look at the levels of freedom throughout history and even around the world today, this is the exception. This freedom is incredibly rare, and the journalists in this room help protect that freedom, and we cannot ever take that for granted.

So, Mr. President, I thank you for your decency on behalf of my grandfather. And I thank all of you, almost all of you, for your decency as well. I am very honored and grateful that you invited me here tonight. Thank you, and good night.

O'DONNELL: Thank you, Colin. And all of our speakers tonight, especially you, Mr. President. Thanks again to our executive producer, Bob Bain, and his excellent team. Thank you to the Washington Hilton. Really, thank you to the Washington Hilton. I am forever grateful to our members, and to Comcast, NBCUniversal, my home at NBC News. Thank you to our board, and good luck, Eugene.

I hope you had fun. I had the time of my life. Good night.

SIDNER: Wow. That was Colin Jost just finishing that out there, in an unusual ending, something I don't think a lot of people were expecting from him, because he's usually joke after joke after joke, and he killed it with some of the jokes, the room went crazy, but ending that way was really an endorsement of President Biden.

BERMAN: He talked about decency, he talked about his 95-year-old grandfather who passed away this year and said that his grandfather voted for Donald Trump excuse me -- voted for President Biden because of decency. Politics aside it was a poignant plea, and I think endorsement in the room of not necessarily just a politician, but also a way of life, also a search for truth, also hard work and things like that.

[22:55:00]

It was an interesting night. President Biden came out, not a very long speech. A lot of jokes about Donald Trump. Very Trump focused from President Biden. Also, some direction to the media over what he thinks the media should do in this election. And then, Colin Jost, one joke after another, after another, after another, relentless. And yes, he joked about the president's age a lot, a lot.

A lot to talk about. We are back with our all-star panel that was watching, that was laughing, there were some cringes, it was all happening right here. Cari Champion, I see you at the end nodding first.

CARI CHAMPION, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: I will -- listen, I thought he was great. To my surprise, I didn't think he was going to be that great, he was very honest, I think as you mentioned earlier, someone mentioned here on this panel earlier that there's truth in every joke, I thought there was so much truth in a lot of the jokes in which he said.

I love that he made fun of just about everyone, no one was safe. But more importantly, at the very end, to your point, there were two things that really caught my attention that I really enjoyed, please come up to my wife, she doesn't love her privacy, everyone say hi to her. That's what she wants. I love that moment because she's sitting here laughing -- like, she's laughing really hard, like, you better not.

I -- please do not come up with -- and I love that because it tells me who he is and who she is, and they have that moment together. I love that his family was there. I just -- I really thought he hit it out of the park. And last but not least, the decency clause. I'm a fan of that. I think that everybody should be decent. I think we've been really nasty, and when I say we, society as a whole, what we read and what we see and what trends on social media doesn't speak to our heart and our kindness. And for him to say that, that gave me a new perspective about who he was and I appreciated it.

VAN LATHAN, HOST, "THE HIGHER LEARNING PODCAST" ON THE RINGER: I was really surprised with President Biden. I thought that he knocked it out of the park. He was funny, but more than that, he showed the charisma that people sometimes don't see from him. He was dripping with it. He understood the joke. He was in on the joke.

As far as Colin, like he did the "8 Mile" thing. He gets up there, if you guys have ever seen "8 Mile," you've seen "8 Mile" before?

BIDEN: Mom's spaghetti, makes me nervous.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mom's spaghetti.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

LATHAN: He gets up there and he basically does every single joke that you possibly can about Joe Biden, about big democratic sort of conspiracies and all of that. And at the end, he ends with his heartfelt feelings about Joe Biden, about who he feels like the man is, and that made him more powerful after we had heard him destroy everybody else. Really strong night from both of the guys, really, honestly.

SIDNER: What'd you think, SE?

SE CUPP, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, it was great. I thought he was great. I don't know who, from our organization, paid him not to make fun of CNN, but there was not a single mention of us. And we usually get a jab or two.

BERMAN: A jab or two, we usually get like five minutes.

CUPP: Most snippet. So, someone was working for us there. But I thought he was really funny. And that moment at the end that we all have talked about being really heartfelt, a little emotional could have come off as self-righteous and earnest and scolding and it wasn't. It worked so well because he personalized it with his family and he didn't go too far. It wasn't cloying. I thought it was like just the right ending.

But I loved a lot of his jokes. The Matt Gaetz one in particular.

BERMAN: We'll go over that. We'll relive them. Second by second, a little bit later. Van, first impressions.

VAN JONES, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR AND FORMER OBAMA ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: You know, I love Joe Biden. You know, I get frustrated with him. I -- you know, on a day-to-day basis, you just think, Jesus, why this, why that, why not that? And then, you get a chance to spend some time with him, either in person or here, and you remember, as you've said, Van, this guy has real charisma.

There's a reason that he keeps exceeding expectations. He was counted out many, many times, but it's because of that. I thought it was smart for him to keep it short. Other presidents could maybe take a cue from that. He kept it short.

I like the jokes about his age. They were -- he gave his main jokes about his age, almost as Colin did.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

JONES: You know, and I especially like -- the one thing he did, I thought was smart, he talked about the age issue being that Trump is a six-year-old.

SIDNER: Yes, I'm a grown man and he's a six-year-old.

JONES: I'm a grown man, he's a six-year-old. I thought that was really good.

BERMAN: And you then -- and then you continue, let's say, like, I've been campaigning in all 13 colonies.

JONES: Yes, exactly.

SIDNER: He's really funny.

JONES: You know, to your point, he was in on the joke. He understood it, he embraced it, he was able to deal with it, and then, you know, Colin did what he did. I think if you're a conservative it's, again, the kind of mainstream media side siding with Biden, that may not go down well for them.

But if you're going to do it, do it like Colin did, make it personal, throw in a few little jabs, keep it funny, but open your heart up and call this country back to its best self, which is what he was doing.

SIDNER: Scott, what did you think? Scott's got a different take. I saw those eyebrows go up.

SCOTT JENNINGS, FORMER SPECIAL ASSISTANT TO PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH: Yes, I thought it was wise for Biden to keep it short and he didn't try to over modulate, you know, he was pretty even keel throughout, you know, sometimes he goes up and down and it's weird.