good evening, everybody. >> thanks for inviting me. >> it is wonderful to be here at the white house correspondents' dinner. >> i am absolutely delighted to be here. >> i didn't want to be here. >> not that old joke, not again. >> don't turn on me. >> what's up? >> you like me, you really like me! >> the white house correspondents' dinner, when a-list celebrities mix it up with washington's biggest names for what's affectionately become known as the nerd prom. >> for us hollywood people getting to, you know, hang out with the washington people is very exciting. >> this is my first time being

invited to the dinner, so i'm just excited to be here. >> you always have to wonder what the president is going to do because the pressure lays on him. he is going to have a comedian there, the president has to be light and happy while talking to the news media. that takes a lot of training. >> i met a congressman as well downstairs. >> i can't believe we got invited and it is cool to be here, i'm excited to see the show! ♪ >> welcome to the special coverage of white house correspondents' dinner. i am craig melvin. it is a night we see the leader of the free world play standup comic. this is the president's fifth shot at the microphone. as he showed last year, he's got the hang of it. >> four years ago i was a washington outsider. four years later, i'm at this dinner. four years ago i looked like

this. today i look like this. [ laughter ] and four years from now, i will look like this. [ laughter ] [ cheers and applause ] that's not even funny! >> yeah, it is, that's pretty funny. the only tougher job for the president tonight, perhaps the comedian that has to follow him. for that, we have a member of the second timers club who first tried this gig 18 years ago. >> i have an announcement for those of you watching tonight's event live on cspan. for god's sake, it is saturday night! [ laughter ] go outside! meet a woman! come on!

there are things you can do! >> a lot has changed since conan's last visit. the glitz and glamour upped considerably, and not just cspan showing it any more, msnbc and other cable channels carry it live. this year, e! is covering it as well. joining me for cover, national political reporter for the national journal and alicia. good to have you both. let's not forget dean, comedian standing by. love the bow tie. >> thank you. i put it on for you guys. wanted to dress up, look patriotic and comedic. >> you have accomplished both of those goals. >> thank you very much. >> the president gets an opportunity to take shots at the media but he also gets opportunity to take shots at his political opponents as well. take a listen.

>> i tried to be civil, to not take any cheap shots. and that's why i want to especially thank all the members who took a break from their exhausting schedule of not passing any laws to be here tonight. let's give them a round of applause. >> here is the thing, that joke could be just as applicable tonight, with the defeat of gun control legislation, with immigration stalled, not so much stalled but certainly not at a point a lot of folks thought it would be at this particular point. is congress in for a rough ride tonight from the president? >> most definitely, that's probably the biggest target. the past weeks there have been national tragedies, what else can he talk about and poke fun at. on friday, the house voted on the faa bill to stop airport delays, the same day they were going out on planes. that's prime target. i'm waiting for that joke. >> and did it with break neck

speed. >> totally. totally. >> dean, you wrote a column how the president uses his humor as a weapon. the best example came in 2011 when he took on the donald at the height of all of the birther talk. here it is. >> i know that he's taken some flack lately, but no one is happier, no one is prouder to put this birth certificate matter to rest than the donald. and that's because he can finally get back to focusing on the issues that matter, like did we fake the moon landing? what really happened in roswell? and where are biggie and tupoc? [ laughter ] >> the president liked the reaction so much, he brought it back in 2012. >> last year at this time in fact on this very weekend we finally delivered justice to one

of the world's most notorious individuals. [ applause [ applause ] how does president obama use his jokes differently from other presidents? >> first of all, he is great. look at his delivery, confidence, the way he tells the jokes. it is like someone that's a comedian more than a president dealing with serious issues. what he does differently and he does do self deprecating humor, but takes on the rivals so much more, like jon stewart and the daily show will. like a political comic, he entertains you, educates you, then eviscerates you. he gets everybody laughing at the people talking against him. when you have everyone laugh at your rivals, it is a great feeling and undercutting their

credibility. the donald wouldn't even laugh. the man can't even laugh at himself. >> they come out to this in droves now. they are not immune from the president's barbs. take a listen. >> just the other day matt damon, i love matt damon, love the guy. matt damon said he was disappointed in my performance. well, matt, i just saw "the adjustment bureau." so right back at you, buddy! >> right back at you. is it a badge of honor for a celebrity to be personally insulted? >> i think it is a badge of honor. to dean's point, president obama shines when he is on stage. he is an orator. whether he talks about a celebrity, politician, bills that haven't passed, the donald, the way he delivers it, he shines. that's what got him elected, this is his night. >> you mention the president's

style, delivery. one of the things i always enjoyed about the president, i have an uncle that does this as well. when he's about to say something he knows is going to go over well, he knows will get a laugh, he'll chuckle himself, he can barely contain his own laughter. >> it is like a tip, like you're playing poker, your tell. he does it. certain comedians had a cigar, moved their jacket around or something, you've seen it. it is interesting, he does it because he is playful. there are jokes, watch him, the joke about congress, he looked dead serious, he was joking, but that was the sub text. a little anger showing, but we know it is playful. >> chris christie will be in the crowd. he took a few shots, he is a big target, no pun intended. actually that pun was intended. >> nice! >> he caught some flack from jimmy kimmel last year. take a look. >> you know they say that inside every american governor is a

president struggling to get out. in chris christie's case, it is the only one you can still hear him screaming. governor christie, you may be understanding new jersey's sl slogan, it is not the olive garden state. >> we think christie may be a target. who else may be a political target besides congress. >> besides congress? >> individuals. >> well, within congress i'm expecting personally a water sip joke. i am going to roll my eyes if we get one. >> don't you think it played out? >> it has played out but i'll still roll my eyes when it happens because it has been played out. >> there was talk this year would be less glitzy. when you look at some of the folks there, bradley cooper, in the interest of full disclosure, he is at an msnbc table. i know because i heard from no

less than a half dozen college interns asked me to introduce them to mr. cooper. i don't know the man. steven spielberg, "time" magazine's cable, nicole kidman, kevin spacey, george lucas, the list goes on and on. you have been covering these a few years. how does this year's star power compare to star power years past? >> this year's star power is okay, the tipping point is barbara streisand. she started the celebrity trend of coming to dinners in 1993 when she came the first time in the clinton era, she's back again. it is a big deal. she turned 71 this week. to have barbara streisand in the house, to have steven spielberg there, it is a big game changer. >> here is something else that obviously all of this is going to be against the backdrop of, the investigation into the boston bombings, the arrest today in mississippi. the arrest with regards to the ricin laced letter.

a lot of questions have been asked about the tone of tonight's festivities. this is what eric holder said on the red carpet when we caught up with him. take a listen. >> i think over the event in a way didn't happen last year, but one of the things we have to do is not let the terrorists stop what it is we do, and this is one of the annual things we get together and enjoy. >> you know, bill clinton and george w. bush as well, they decided to pass on the humor in the wake of tragedy. what will this president do. >> i wouldn't be surprised if he did pass a significant portion on the humor given everything that's happened. at the same time, this week you also had the george w. bush library dedication and there were some quips as well. this isn't like this is a period of time we can't joke, but i wouldn't be surprised if he set aside time to mark those who have passed and talk about those

tragedies. >> we are just getting started. coverage will continue until the president speaks, until conan o'brien speaks as well. much more on the presidential humor during the annual events. but one year it wasn't the president getting the laughs. >> i have been attending these dinners for years. and just quietly sitting there. well, i've got a few things i want to say for a change. [ cheers and applause ] i am married to the president of the united states and here's our typical evening. 9:00. mr. excitement here is sound asleep. and i'm watching "desperate housewives." [ applause ]

with lynn cheney. ladies and gentlemen, i am a desperate housewife! >> laura bush stole the show at the dinner in 2005. could michelle obama have a similar surprise in store for tonight? we should know before the hour is up. stay with us for live special coverage of the white house correspondents' dinner. >> i am gabby douglas, you're watching the white house correspondents' dinner on msnbc. [ male announcer ] alka-seltzer plus presents the cold truth.

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the heart. going to speak off the cuff.

[bleep] good evening. pause for laughter. >> that was president obama at his very first white house correspondents' dinner as commander in chief. tonight will be his fifth time doing this. while he has gotten high marks, he's not the only president that can bring the fun in. to talk about this, joined by our panel. dean wearing the coolest bow tie in the big apple tonight. dean, let me start with you. >> sure. >> one of the greatest moments came courtesy of president george w. bush, not exactly known for his comedic stylings. take a look. >> okay. here it comes. nuclear proliferation. nuclear proliferation.

nuclear proliferation. >> nuclear proliferation. >> he really brought down the house with that routine there. how much of it is about self dep ri indication, is that the key? >> people like you, make jokes about themselves, it is a great thing to do. you're not offending, you're smoking about yourself. bush i watched most of the correspondents' dinners, he made fun of himself, made fun of his greatest weakness, speaking english, had no problem doing it. shows americans you can laugh at yourself. even if you don't like his policies, you like the man and that's important. >> one person that seemed to relish the gatherings, no surprise, as you might expect, bill clinton. here are some of his farewell performance at the white house correspondents' dinner. >> you know, the clock is running down on the republicans

in congress, too. i feel for them, i do. they've only got seven more months to investigate me. [ laughter ] that's a lot of pressure. so little time. so many unanswered questions. [ laughter ] for example, over the last few months i've lost ten pounds. where did they go? >> you know, here is bill clinton, not really making just fun of himself but took what could have been some taboo topics, the investigations, including the monica lewinsky part of it, and uses it against his enemies. how tempting is that for the people that write the jokes and how tough of a line is that to navigate? >> as a comedian, you write the hardest-hitting, most cutting jokes you can do. it is up to the president to approve or not approve a joke. believe me, we write the edgiest

darkest jokes, attacking enemies of the president as much as possible because we know the power of comedy. we understand how it works. it is up to the president. i think tonight you may see a damper because of the boston marathon bombing and explosion in texas, the fertilizer factory. besides that, that wasn't here, i think obama, it is his first dinner since he won re-election, confident as ever. i think he takes on everyone hard and may still do that at the end, maybe a moment of silence or reflection on tragedies of the week. >> beyond the comedian that performs, do the celebrities at the dinner have opportunities to interact with the president, get time with the first lady? >> they absolutely do, get time, a quick meet and greet. a comedian received a letter from mrs. obama inviting her, some have agendas, like sharon stone. she's hardcore, there for the creative coalition. going back to dean's point, last time conan hosted was 1995,

clinton was in office, oklahoma bombings just happened, so it had a different tone. tonigh president obama, boston just happened, but this is his fifth correspondents' dinner, he is going to come hard hitting. >> this is the last one? >> he can't run for office again. he has nothing to lose. >> i want to play sound from ronald reagan, the great commator. this is him in one of his appearances at the white house correspondents' dinner, we will talk about it on the other side. >> they said they're preparing me for a press conference was like re-inventing the wheel. that's not true. i was around when the wheel was invented and it wassier seen obama, we've seen bush, clinton, now reagan. who in your opinion so far based on the presidents you have seen at the dinners, who has been the funniest? >> i really think obama brought the house down in ways that others haven't. clinton was funny, like mentioned, george w. bush was

good at the self deprecating humor. president obama struck the bounds between self deply indication and going after his enemies. >> dean, i want to ask you when we come back, who has bombed, blown this, we wake up sunday morning like oh, my god, i can't believe he was so awful. pressure not only on the president but the comedian that follows him. >> guys like us, we don't pay attention to the polls. we know that polls are just a collection of statistics that reflect what people are thinking in "reality." and reality has a well known liberal bias. >> many critics said stephen colbert went too far in that 2006 appearance. one may have gone further. we will talk about that straight ahead as special live coverage of white house correspondents' dinner continues.

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yes, i think it is fair to say when it comes to my presidency, the honeymoon is over. for example, some people now suggest that i'm too professorial. i would like to address it early on. by assigning you rding to help yodraw your own conclusions. others say i'm arrogant but i found a really great self help tool for this, my poll numbers. >> that was president obama during his 2011 appearance at the white house correspondents' dinner. this event is an opportunity for the president to unleash his inner jerry seinfeld, for the public, they see a different side of the commander in chief, a side they rarely see. the president's remarks are very

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dick cheney was supposed to be here, but he is very busy working on his memoirs, tentively titledow t shoot friends and interrogate people. [ laughter ] i am craig melvin, with live coverage of the white house correspondents' dinner. that was president obama taking a shot at dick cheney at his first appearance. we are looking at the president the past few years. >> i would like to welcome you to the ten day anniversary of my