0:00:00: To the US now, where Joe Biden has taken sharp aim at his presidential election rival Donald

0:00:06: Trump at the annual White House Correspondents' Dinner.

0:00:10: At the gathering of politicians and journalists, he spoke about some of the big issues that

0:00:14: could shape November's election.

0:00:17: He also highlighted the work his administration is doing to secure the release of US journalists

0:00:23: detained overseas.

0:00:24: But there was no mention of the war in Gaza.

0:00:27: Hundreds of pro-Palestinian protesters greeted attendees of the event outside the venue,

0:00:33: calling for them to boycott the dinner over US support for Israel's war in Gaza.

0:00:39: Here's a little of what President Biden had to say inside.

0:00:44: And you, the press, play a critical role in making sure the American people have the information

0:00:48: they need to make an informed decision.

0:00:51: A defeated former president has made no secret of his attack on our democracy.

0:00:56: He said he wants to be a dictator on day one and so much more.

0:01:01: He tells supporters he is their revenge and retribution.

0:01:05: When in God's name have you ever heard of another president say something like that?

0:01:09: And he promised a bloodbath when he loses again.

0:01:13: We have to take this seriously.

0:01:16: And DW reporter Pablo Foley-Elias is here with me to talk about the White House Correspondents'

0:01:21: Dinner.

0:01:22: Himself a former Washington correspondent.

0:01:23: Pablo, hi there.

0:01:24: Tell us, how did it go for Biden here?

0:01:27: Well, look, this is an opportunity for Biden to show a lighter side of his personality,

0:01:32: which he did at this gala dinner.

0:01:36: And of course, this is a campaign year, so there were lots of topics that he had the

0:01:40: opportunity to talk about.

0:01:42: The election is just over six months away, Jared.

0:01:45: We mustn't forget that.

0:01:46: And one big topic that's been coming up amongst many voters and donors, too, is Biden's advanced

0:01:52: age and whether he has the mental sharpness, actually, to be president for another four

0:01:58: years.

0:01:59: But he also had, let's just say, a bit of humor about it all.

0:02:03: So let's listen to what he had to say on that topic.

0:02:05: Of course, the 2024 election is in full swing.

0:02:10: And yes, age is an issue.

0:02:13: I'm a grown man running against a six-year-old.

0:02:17: All right, so he's cracked a joke there, obviously, about himself.

0:02:24: And the six-year-old he's referring to is the other candidate in this election, former

0:02:30: President Donald Trump, who is currently dealing with some legal issues.

0:02:35: There are four criminal cases open, actually, at the moment against him.

0:02:39: He's on trial at the moment in New York over an alleged hush money payment to an adult

0:02:44: film star, Stormy Daniels, which President Biden also mentioned once or twice.

0:02:51: OK, Pablo, this is a really big event for the media.

0:02:54: We're sitting here talking about it.

0:02:56: Does it matter to voters?

0:02:58: Well, it's publicity, right?

0:03:00: And every big event, particularly this year, is going to end up on social media, online,

0:03:06: on television, wherever it may be.

0:03:08: And that is, of course, important when it's an election campaign.

0:03:12: And he did mention some of the big issues, like I mentioned, his age.

0:03:16: He also talked about Donald Trump and his legal issues.

0:03:19: And one big issue that wasn't mentioned, and you mentioned it before, which is the war

0:03:25: in Gaza.

0:03:26: And, you know, his handling of the war in Gaza has been under a lot of scrutiny in the

0:03:31: United States.

0:03:32: This also comes at a time that we've been seeing student protests taking place at university

0:03:36: campuses and college campuses across the United States.

0:03:39: And let's not forget as well that there was actually a protest outside the hotel where

0:03:42: the venue was in Washington, D.C.

0:03:45: Pablo, tell us, how is the presidential campaign going for Joe Biden at this point?

0:03:51: Jared, quite frankly, not great.

0:03:54: Since his energetic State of the Union address last March, he's really up to gear in his

0:03:59: campaign.

0:04:00: But his approval rating is currently in one poll showed it's lower than any other president

0:04:06: at this point in recent history.

0:04:09: So that's not good.

0:04:10: And now another couple of polls show that there is a slight increase in his popularity.

0:04:15: But there are a lot of issues that are concerning voters.

0:04:17: Among those are the economy, which is a big one.

0:04:21: There have been some improvements there on that field.

0:04:27: Jobless rate is looking good and consumer prices are going down.

0:04:31: But of course, Donald Trump's trial cases, criminal cases are also, let's say they could

0:04:37: be a health to President Biden.

0:04:39: OK, thanks so much for that.

0:04:40: That's our DW reporter, Pablo Foley-Elias.