Photo: Paul Hennessy/SOPA Images/Getty; Francis Specker/CBS/Getty
At theWhite House Correspondents' Association dinneron Saturday, hostTrevor Noahhad guests laughing at his jokes about Florida Gov.Ron DeSantis, telling the audience at one point, “One of my favorites, Ron DeSantis, is here.”
But DeSantis, 43, wasn’t there — and said Monday he never planned to appear at the event.
Though former PresidentDonald Trumpdid not attend during his term — saying the event was “too negative” — PresidentJoe Bidenand First Lady Dr.Jill Bidenbrought back the tradition on Saturday, which marked the return of the dinner after it was canceled because of theCOVID-19 pandemicin 2020 and 2021.
President Biden evencracked a few jokes of his own, taking aim at his predecessor, the press and himself.
Noah followed Biden at the podium and quickly brought up the Florida governor, who waslisted in the programas an attendee, according to a Washington, D.C.-basedMiami Heraldreporter who shared an image of it on Twitter.
“One of my favorites, Ron DeSantis, is here,“Noah said, pointing to the audience. “Oh man, I’m actually surprised that he found the time. You know he has been so busy trying to outmaneuver Trump for 2024. I see you, Ron. I see you, player. Yeah, I’ve seen what you’ve been doing, blaming Trump for the lock-downs, distancing yourself from the vaccines that Trump created with his own two hands.”
Noah then did an impression of Trump boasting about the vaccines for COVID-19, prompting laughs.
“He won’t even tell people if he got the booster,” Noah said, referring again to DeSantis. “Or as they say in Florida: ‘Don’t ask, don’t tell,’ am I right? I see you, Ron.”
Noah also riffed on DeSantis' role in various Florida controversies.
“Trump was the original Terminator, DeSantis is like the T-1000,” he said. “You’re smarter than him, you’re slicker than him, you can walk down ramps. Because you see, no, Trump said he won the election, but everyone was just able to look at the numbers and see he was wrong. That’s why Ron DeSantis is one step ahead, first you ban the math textbooks, then nobody knows how to count the votes. Boom, my man!”
A rep for DeSantis said on Twitter on Sunday that the governor never intended to attend the dinner.
“He was not there and never planned to be there,“Christina Pushaw wrote. “This is wishful thinking / obsession.”
source: people.com
