Politicians and the media across Washington are preparing for an annual short break on Saturday night, at the White House Correspondents' Dinner in which President Joe Biden is likely to be the subject of sardonic jokes and respond to them himself.

The allure of the traditional evening, which will be held as usual in the spacious reception hall of the Hilton Hotel in Washington, has somewhat faded in recent years between former President Donald Trump's boycott of it and the epidemic.

But this year the event looks attractive again. "Tickets are completely sold out," said Tamara Keith, president of the White House Press Association, a correspondent for public broadcaster "NPR".

It's the post-Covid period, she told The Hill newspaper. Last year, people were hesitant about spending an evening in a large hall of 2,600 people, and this year they are rushing to get a ticket.

Vice President Kamala Harris will join President Joe Biden (80 years old), who announced Tuesday that he is a candidate for re-election in 2024. The presence of the president and vice president at the ceremony revives a tradition that was not applied during the era of former President Donald Trump.

Hollywood personalities, politicians of all persuasions, and journalists from all American media will also participate in the gala dinner.

As every year, a superstar from the entertainment world will take the stage, this year the Daily Show comedian Roy Wood Jr.

According to tradition, the evening commemorates the First Amendment to the US Constitution in defense of freedom of the press. In practice, jokes are especially made.

And if tradition continues Saturday, the jokes will target the president, as well as reporters working on the White House coverage — two popular targets, according to poll results that are unsatisfactory for both Democrats and the press.
Joe Biden can also speak up for himself and tell his own jokes.

Indeed, the 80-year-old president prepared to ridicule himself about his age on Friday.
Referring to a speech a former president gave 65 years ago, he said, "I wasn't there." "Whatever the press says," he added.