Washington – President Barack Obama exacted his revenge Saturday after weeks of attacks from his would-be Republican challenger Donald Trump, joking that the billionaire businessman could bring change to the White House, transforming it from a stately mansion into a tacky casino with a whirlpool in the garden.
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With Trump in attendance, Obama used the White House Correspondents’ Association annual dinner to mock the reality TV star’s presidential ambitions. The president said Trump has shown the acumen of a future president, from firing Gary Busey on a recent episode of “Celebrity Apprentice” to focusing so much time on conspiracy theories about Obama’s birthplace.
After a week when Obama released his long-form Hawaii birth certificate, he said Trump could now focus on the serious issues, from whether the moon landing actually happened to “where are Biggie and Tupac?”
“No one is prouder to put this birth certificate matter to rest than ‘the Donald,'” Obama said, referring to Trump’s claims the same day that he was responsible for solving the issue.
For Trump’s decision to fire actor Busey instead of rock singer Meat Loaf from his TV show earlier this month, Obama quipped: “These are the types of decisions that would keep me up at night. Well handled, sir.”
And then, as a coup de grace, Obama showed a screen with his vision of how Trump could bring change to the White House. “Trump” was prominently displayed in glittery letters and girls could be seen with cocktails on a Jacuzzi-augmented front lawn.
Trump chuckled at some of the earlier jokes, but was clearly less amused as comedian Seth Meyers picked up where Obama left off.
“Donald Trump often talks about running as a Republican, which is surprising,” said the Saturday Night Live actor, entrusted with providing some of the comedy for the evening. “I just assumed he was running as a joke.”
Trump stared icily at Meyers as he continued to criticize the real estate tycoon.
Obama and Trump found themselves in the same room after an intense week of attacks from Trump, who has piggybacked on the birther conspiracies and even Obama’s refusal to release his university grades to raise the profile of his possible presidential bid.
And the birth certificate was clearly the key punchline for the evening, which typically offers the president a chance to show off his humorous side and a town consumed by politics and partisanship to enjoy a light-hearted affair.
Obama’s presentation started after the wrestler Hulk Hogan’s patriotic anthem, “Real American,” played. Images of Americana from Mount Rushmore to Uncle Sam were shown on the screen, alongside his birth certificate. And then he offered to show his live birth video, which turned out to be a clip from the Disney film, “The Lion King.”
On the serious side, Obama took time to thank the troops for their service overseas and noted that the people of the South, especially Alabama, have suffered heart-wrenching losses.
“The devastation is unbelievable and it is heartbreaking,” he said. He encouraged the journalists in the room to help tell the stories of those who have been hurt by the storms and saluted those who lost their lives while covering the news.
Other possible Republican presidential hopefuls in attendance were former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman, Rep. Michele Bachmann and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich. And stars such as Sean Penn and Scarlett Johansson also were among the more than 2,500 people who attended.
The association was formed in 1914 as a liaison between the press and the president. Every president since Calvin Coolidge has attended the dinner. Some of the proceeds from the dinner pay for journalism scholarships for college students.
Several journalists will also be honored at the dinner:
— Dan Balz of The Washington Post and Jake Tapper of ABC News, for winning the Merriman Smith Award for presidential coverage under deadline pressure. Balz won for coverage of an unexpected appearance by Obama and former President Bill Clinton at a White House briefing, and Tapper won for revealing that Obama would ask Director of National Intelligence Dennis Blair to resign.
— Peter Baker of The New York Times, for winning the Aldo Beckman award for sustained excellence in White House coverage, for stories dubbed “the education of a president.”
— Michael Berens of The Seattle Times, for winning the Edgar A. Poe Award for excellence in coverage of news of national or regional significance. Berens uncovered flaws in a health care plan for seniors that resulted in neglect, abuse and even death.
I’d rather have a whirlpool than a communist in the white house! Impeach Obama!!!
Wow he wiped the floor with Trump and everyone knows that Obama speaks the truth on this matter. The GOP is sinking in intellectual prowess when you have Trump, Palin, Becks and Bachmans as the best the party can put out for leadership and intellect. Without his father’s fortunes, Trump would be a regular shmoe real estate agent.
Why did this egomaniac Trump get a pass in there?
Should we be proud that our sitting president used his position to mock a challenger? Remember the advertisement “We don’t need a tuna with good taste, we need a tuna that tastes good”? Well our president with a sense of humor has become a president that can be the subject of humor. He has added to his many features. Until now, he was inexperienced, ineffective, bedding with terrorists, socialist, wrecking the economy, etc. Now he has become a bad stand-up comic. What a proud list of accomplishments. Are we to be consoled that he made May 2011 Jewish American month? How does that help?
Trump is NOT even a candidate, why would Obama feel so threatened by a “casino owner”? This seemed more like a Trump ROAST than a Jounalist Dinner but this was only round 1, expect The Donald to retaliate! And the President must have soooo many more important issues for his staff to take time to research and write about…..hope this one was worth it.
why the short notice on making may jewish american month. people did not have a chance to make any plans for events
Obama is a racist!!!
He made fun of a white person at the dinner.
He should be impeached for RACISM.
[Isn’t that what they call someone who says anything negative about Obama?]
Remarkable. I did not know that Judaism called for godlessness. But that said, looking at all the enduring anti liberal and now clearly anti Mr. Obama comments, one must realize that there is a tinge of paganism with illiberal fervor in our Jewish community. Be so good folks that you dont burn your own fingers on your pagan fires in life.
Comments such as “impeach Obama” are godlessness. To attack a sitting president without cause and to say that his values are destructive when they are the true values of a mainstream American Political Party is to vouch that God does not create an even system in the American Government. So, yes, I stand by my comment that this is godlessness. And I must say that I am a BTand I am very amazed at the unremarkable incessant hatred for true Liberal Values among those in the religous communities that I am beginning to get to know. This is not Torah.