Joe Biden at dinner with journalists. He joked about Donald Trump and his bicycle accident, and talked about the importance of a free press

The annual gala dinner of the White House Correspondents' Association took place in Washington on Saturday. President Joe Biden took part in it. The dinner has a tradition of over a hundred years.

Biden had a good sense of humor, which he used, among other things, to point out the immaturity of his presidential rival, Donald Trump. – I'm a grown man competing with a six-year-old. And I feel great, he said, and the room responded with laughter.

He emphasized that a year had passed since his last speech at the correspondents' dinner. – My wife Jill was worried about how I would do. I said, “Don't worry. It's like riding a bike.” And she said: “That's why I'm worried,” the president joked, referring to the event from nearly two years ago, when fell from his bicycle in front of residents of Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.

Biden also spoke about the importance of a free media in a democratic country. – An important issue of our times is whether democracy still exists and whether it is sacred to us. This is the question the American people must answer this year. And you – the free media – play a key role in providing the American people with the information they need to make informed decisions, said the president.

He emphasized that “in the era of disinformation, this reliable information is more important than ever.” – You – and I say this from the bottom of my heart – are more important than ever before, he argued. Biden then raised a toast to “a free press, informed citizens, a free and democratic country.”

“God bless America,” Biden said, raising a glass of champagne.