130th Gridiron Club Dinner With Comic-in-Chief Obama and Others

Showing up for the fourth time at the Gridiron Club dinner, President Barack Obama proved himself a more than able comic-in-chief, joking about Hillary Clinton’s email snafu and D.C.’s partial legalization of marijuana. Also at hand were Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe, doing stand-up for the Republicans and Democrats, respectively.

Put on by the Gridiron Club and Foundation, which was formed by newspapers and news services in 1885, the evening of fellowship demands that journalists and politicians call a truce and mock themselves or each other. There are also musical skits performed by the press members. The United States Marine Band is there, and everyone sings “Auld Lang Syne” at the end.

The 130th annual dinner was held March 14 at the Renaissance Hotel on 9th Street NW with photographers and onlookers waiting in the lobby to check out the specially invited and formally dressed arrivals. Men wear white-tie, while women go full-length. No formal reporting, recording or filming is allowed, but somehow notes from the tables make it out past the lobby and into news reports the next day.

While baseball great Hank Aaron, the new owner of the Washington Post, Jeff Bezos, and the new D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser were there among 650 others, top 2016 presidential contenders Hillary Clinton and Jeb Bush were not.

Presidents (except Grover Cleveland) from Benjamin Harrison to Barack Obama have spoken at the dinner, an insider Washington tradition.

Herewith, gleamed from various press reports that include the Washington Post, Politico and National Public Radio:

From NPR: Obama commented, “This is my third appearance at this dinner as president. And I predict you will laugh harder than ever. I’m not saying I’m any funnier. I’m saying weed is now legal in D.C. I know that’s how you guys are getting through this dinner. That’s why you ate the food.”

From the Post: Walker said, “I really do have a lot of close friends who are Democrats. I even have Hillary’s private e-mail . . . It’s HillaryClinton@Wallstreet.com. You know the best part of that joke, Elizabeth Warren wrote it for me.”

From Politico, here are a few of Obama’s other jokes: “Just a few years ago, I could never imagine … being in my fifties. And when it comes to my approval ratings, I still can’t. (Laughter.) I mean, think about how things have changed since 2008. Back then, I was the young, tech-savvy candidate of the future. Now I’m yesterday’s news and Hillary has got a server in her house. (Laughter.) I didn’t even know you could have one of those in your house. (Laughter and applause.) I am so far behind. Did you know that? I would have gotten one. On the bright side, by the time I’m done with this job, I will finally have enough life experience for a memoir. (Laughter.)

“My Vice President isn’t here tonight. He told me, ‘If I want to hear people talking for five hours straight, I’ll just stay home alone.’ (Laughter.) And, by the way, this is just a quick aside — Joe rubs my shoulders too. … Despite a great performance tonight, Scott [Walker] has had a few recent stumbles. The other week he said he didn’t know whether or not I was a Christian. And I was taken aback, but fortunately my faith teaches us forgiveness. So, Governor Walker, as-salamu alaykum. (Laughter and applause.) . . .

“I got flak for appearing on a video for BuzzFeed, trying to reach younger voters. What nonsense. You know, you don’t diminish your office by taking a selfie. You do it by sending a poorly written letter to Iran. (Laughter and applause.) Really, that wasn’t a joke.”