Tesla Inc CEO Elon Musk said he "nearly died laughing" watching President Joe Biden‘s speech at the White House Correspondents’ Association’s annual dinner on Saturday.
What Happened: The tech billionaire late Sunday replied to a tweet from Ed Krassenstein that shared highlights of Biden's last night speech which he said caught his attention.
"I nearly died laughing. Phew that was close," said Musk in a reply, although it was not immediately clear if he was being sarcastic since the compilation also included a serious quote at the end.
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In his candid speech, Biden targeted news outlets that, according to him, used “lies told for profit and power” to stir up hatred, as he coupled his remarks with pointed jokes about Fox News. “I’d call Fox ‘Honest, fair and truthful.’ But then I’d be sued for defamation," said Biden.
"I hope the Fox News team finds this funny. My goal is to make them laugh harder than CNN did when they read the settlement agreement," Biden said, referring to Fox News' $787 Million lawsuit from Dominion Voting Systems.
Biden in his speech also made a mention of “Dark Brandon” — a series of memes depicting him as a sinister figure with red lasers in his eyes or in military gear, created as a spinoff of “Dark MAGA” memes and inspired by the conservative slogan “Let’s go, Brandon.” This elicited laughter from Musk too.
Why It Matters: Musk and Biden share a frosty relationship. The billionaire entrepreneur has called out the president for not acknowledging Tesla as the leader in EV manufacturing, and in December 2021, he took a dig at the president by suggesting an upper age limit of 70 for people running for political office.
Despite this, Musk revealed that he voted for Biden in the last election and has identified himself as a moderate who supports both Democrats and Republicans.
The black-tie dinner in Washington returned last year after being canceled in 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic. In attendance was President Biden, who became the first president in six years to accept the invitation, following former President Donald Trump‘s decision to avoid the event while in office.
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