Joe Biden Roasts New York Times at White House Correspondents Dinner

President Joe Biden roasted the New York Times (NYT) after the outlet issued a statement claiming he was “actively and effectively” dodging questions from the press.

During the beginning of Biden’s speech at the White House Correspondents Dinner at the Washington Hilton on Saturday evening, Biden referenced a statement the NYT had issued on Thursday in which Biden was accused of having set a “dangerous precedent” by avoiding questions from independent journalists.

The statement from the NYT read:

For anyone who understands the role of the free press in a democracy, it should be troubling that President Biden has so actively and effectively avoided questions from independent journalists during his term. The president occupies the most important office in our nation, and the press plays a vital role in providing insights into his thinking and worldview, allowing the public to assess his record and hold him to account.

Mr. Biden has granted far fewer press conferences and sit-down interviews with independent journalists than virtually all of his predecessors. It is true that The Times has sought an on-the-record interview with Mr. Biden, as it has done with all presidents going back more than a century. If the president chooses not to sit down with The Times because he dislikes our independent coverage, that is his right, and we will continue to cover him fully and fairly either way.

“The New York Times issued a statement blasting me for, quote, ‘active and effectively avoiding independent journalists,'” Biden said during his speech. “Hey, if that’s what it takes to get the New York Times to say I’m active and effective I’m for it.”

The statement from the NYT came in response to a report from Politico claiming that the White House and the NYT were feuding and that tensions were rising between the two.

Tensions reportedly began to rise between the two starting in March 2023, when a reporter on duty reportedly attributed a White House statement to the wrong person instead of stating that it was from “an administration official.”

Politico writes in the report:

The Times‘ desire for a sit-down interview with Biden by the newspaper’s White House team is no secret around the West Wing or within the D.C. bureau. Getting the president on the record with the paper of record is a top priority for publisher A.G. Sulzberger. So much so that last May, when Vice President Kamala Harris arrived at the newspaper’s midtown headquarters for an off-the-record meeting with around 40 Times journalists, Sulzberger devoted several minutes to asking her why Biden was still refusing to grant the paper – or any major newspaper – an interview. Harris, according to three people in the room that day, suggested that he contact the White House press office and later grumbled to aides about the back-and-forth being a waste of the allotted time.