Saturday night the Washington, D.C., establishment held its annual fete to itself, the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, and once again President Barack Obama managed to invite in hip-hop.
Obama’s entrance music at this year’s Conan O’Brien-hosted event was DJ Khaled’s “All I Do Is Win,” and the president also mockingly addressed the recent brouhaha over Jay-Z’s trip to Cuba: “Some things are beyond my control,” the president said. “For example, this whole controversy about Jay-Z going to Cuba — it’s unbelievable. I’ve got 99 problems and now Jay-Z is one.” That followed a joke about Young Jeezy at the 2012 dinner.
The guy who once said there isn’t a red America or a blue America also goofed on country’s biggest contemporary pop star. Referring to the budget sequester debate, Obama joked: “Republicans fell in love with this thing, and now they can’t stop talking about how much they hate it. It’s like we’re trapped in a Taylor Swift album.” New Jersey’s governor, Republican Chris Christie, can be seen smiling and shaking his head after that joke. Sorry, governor: The president can’t pal around with Bruce Springsteen all the time.
The speech closed on a serious note, with tributes to the victims of the Boston Marathon bombing and the explosion in West Texas and everyone who helped out in the aftermath of those tragedies. Some moments are bigger than politics, jokes, or pop stars.
