Biden Attends Correspondents’ Dinner as Virus Stalks Washington

(Bloomberg) -- President Joe Biden attended the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner for the first time as commander-in-chief, even as the coronavirus continues to infect those around him.

“We're here to show the country we're getting through this pandemic,” Biden told the crowd of some 2,600 people at the Washington Hilton on Saturday night, adding all attendees had to be fully vaccinated and boosted. “We have to stay vigilant.”

Biden told the room that Vice President Kamala Harris, who spent this week working from her residence after receiving a positive diagnosis, was doing well although she couldn't attend. White House Communications Director Kate Bedingfield announced on Friday via Twitter that she too had tested positive as the virus advanced further into the president's inner circle.

Harris has been prescribed Pfizer Inc.'s Paxlovid Covid-19 antiviral medication.

The White House has said it was taking precautions to keep the president healthy by having him skip the dinner portion of the event. He arrived in time to listen to the speakers, who included Trevor Noah, host of “The Daily Show” on Comedy Central.

Another recent gala for journalists, the Gridiron in March, turned into a superspreader event after more than 70 people tested positive for the virus in the days following the white-tie dinner. White House medical adviser Anthony Fauci had decided ahead of Saturday's dinner that he wouldn't take the risk of attending.

In his remarks, Biden called for unity even as he cracked jokes at the expense of former President Donald Trump, who didn't attend the event while he was in office.

“Just imagine if my predecessor came to this dinner this year, now that would really have been a real coup,” Biden said.

He also noted the challenges faced by the country such as rampant inflation, and spoke about the assault on the liberal order overseas as well as a “poison” running through America's democracy.

“American democracy is not a reality show,” Biden said. “Democracy is not guaranteed and it has to be defended. There's not a damn thing this country can't do if we stand united.”

The president added that he isn't worried about the mid-term elections, saying that while Washington could end up with more partisan gridlock, he's confident that “we can work things out during the remaining six years of my presidency.”