Biden recovers the traditional dinner with the press with the war as a background: "He can laugh at the president, and unlike in Moscow, he will not go to jail"

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US President Joe Biden launched a veiled warning on Saturday about the threats to democracy from his predecessor, Donald Trump, and praised the work of the press, which he said "matters more than ever in the last century."

Biden

became the first president since 2016 to attend the

Correspondents' Dinner , a tradition that dates back to 1924 and in which presidents often deliver a humorous speech and recognize the work of the journalists who cover them.

"This is the first time a president has attended this dinner in six years. It's understandable, we've had a horrible plague followed by two years of

joked

,

in reference to

's tenure , he never attended the gala during his four years in power.

In a more serious tone, the president warned that there is "a poison that runs through democracy" in the United States, in an apparent allusion to

's attempt to reverse the results of the elections in 2020, and his influence in the

.

The leaders of that party in several key states have taken note of what did not work in 2020 and are now designing ways to boycott the result of the elections in 2024 if they consider it necessary, thanks to their power in state parliaments.

"When lies are used to bury the truth (...), what is clear, and I say this from the heart, is that you in the free press matter more than ever in the last century,"

stressed .

confident in his reelection

The president also warned of the problem posed by "misinformation" at the international level, where the world order created after

is "under serious assault," alluding to the Russian invasion of

.

After paying tribute to the journalists who died in

,

acknowledged that the work of the press is hard, because "the industry is changing" and there is "intense pressure to shake things up instead of shedding light."

"But the truth matters. American democracy is not a reality show," she stressed.

Biden

made two references to his intention to run for reelection in 2024, something that many in the country doubt due to his 79 years of age.

"I am not worried about the legislative elections (in November), or if they generate more partisan obstruction. I am sure that we will be able to solve it in the six years that I have left in the Presidency," he stressed.

Then he gave way to humorist

, special guest of the night to do a monologue, and told him: "Now you can laugh at the president, and unlike what would happen in

, he will not go to jail."

Trevor Noah jokes

Noah, host of

, joked that during his visit to

last month,

caused a stir by saying that his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, shouldn't stay in power, until "someone explained to

that None of the things that

wants end up getting."

"This is truly the golden age of conspiracy theories, whether it's on the right that believes

can still win the 2020 election, or the left that believes

can win 2024." , he added.

The South African comedian recognized the work of the Spanish chef

, of whom he said that he is always there when there is a disaster and "that is probably why he is sitting at the

table ", and highlighted the presence at the gala of other celebrities such as

and her partner, comedian

.

The dinner brought together some 2,600 people in a hotel ballroom despite the increase in

infections in

epidemiologist

,

, to cancel his attendance and

himself to spend less time at the event.

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