Obama out. Barack Obama’s speech at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in full

Obama on his future The White House Correspondents’ Dinner, which started in 1920, is held annually at the White House and brings together distinguished personalities and the United States’ most important journalists. On this occasion, the incumbent President of the United States is “asked” to give a speech laden with quotes and irony. On the

Obama on his future

The White House Correspondents’ Dinner, which started in 1920, is held annually at the White House and brings together distinguished personalities and the United States’ most important journalists. On this occasion, the incumbent President of the United States is “asked” to give a speech laden with quotes and irony. On the 30th of April, Barack Obama delivered his last monologue at the WHCD and literally turned into a showman. He made funny jokes about the presidential candidates, including his “comrade Bernie Sanders”, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, as well as about his family, his own future and himself. “Michelle has not aged a day. The only way you can date her in photos is by looking at me,” he said while showing three pictures in which Michelle always looks the same but he is “gray and grizzled”.

 

Obama on investigative journalism

Obama also joked about the tough period American investigative journalism is going through, quoting Spotlight as “the best fantasy film since Star Wars”. The movie tells the story of a group of journalists who have the autonomy and resources to successfully chase down the truth. This is behind his joke about The Washington Post, the newspaper that published the story of the Watergate scandal, involving then President Richard Nixon and the Republican Party, in 1972: “Every year at this dinner, somebody makes a joke about Buzzfeed, for example, changing the media landscape. And every year The Washington Post laughs a little bit less hard”.

Obama out

Lastly, his conclusion didn’t go unnoticed. Obama ended his speech by literally dropping the microphone after saying these two words: “Obama out”. It’s a clear reference to the gesture hip hop artists and rappers make to end concerts and rap battles. Kobe Bryant ended his career (Mamba out) as one of the United States’ best and most famous basketball players after he played his last NBA game against the Los Angeles Lakers in a similar fashion. So nothing was left to chance.

Translated by

Siamo anche su WhatsApp. Segui il canale ufficiale LifeGate per restare aggiornata, aggiornato sulle ultime notizie e sulle nostre attività.

Licenza Creative Commons
Quest'opera è distribuita con Licenza Creative Commons Attribuzione - Non commerciale - Non opere derivate 4.0 Internazionale.

Related articles
Sam Kass, the ex-White House chef talks about his fight for a sustainable food system

Sam Kass has been close to the Obama family for over a decade, starting as their chef in 2005. His commitment to promoting healthy eating and a more sustainable food system – which causes fewer emissions and less deforestation, therefore contributing to climate change mitigation – has found a perfect fit with the former president’s and especially First Lady