President Biden takes turn as comedian, makes Florida Gov. DeSantis the butt of jokes
During a White House Correspondents’ Dinner speech Saturday night, President Joe Biden focused on press freedoms and Americans detained abroad — while also sprinkling in jokes about the political landscape.
Biden quipped about former President Donald Trump’s legal troubles and the firing of CNN’s Don Lemon and Fox News’ Tucker Carlson. But another prominent Floridian also was a target Saturday night: Gov. Ron DeSantis.
“I had a lot of Ron DeSantis jokes ready, but Mickey Mouse beat the hell out of me and got there first,” Biden said.
“After [DeSantis’] re-election as governor, he was asked if he had a mandate. He said ‘Hell no, I’m straight...’”
Biden’s jokes come as DeSantis likely gears up to join the 2024 presidential race.
The Florida governor has been in the national spotlight after a two-year battle with Disney over the company’s criticism of the Parental Rights in Education bill, most commonly known as “Don’t Say Gay.” DeSantis — and the Republican supermajority in the state legislature — have also made headlines over culture war issues.
This story was originally published April 30, 2023 at 2:21 PM.
