President Obama hasn’t yet had much to say about Donald Trump’s presidential campaign. But he got more than a few licks in at the real estate mogul a few years ago at the White House Correspondents’ dinner.
Trump was an invited guest of the Washington Post at the April 30, 2011, dinner and seen then as a potential Republican challenger to the President the following year. Obama took advantage of Trump’s presence to mock him mercilessly, especially over the entrepreneur’s publicly stated doubts about his place of birth. Here’s what Obama said:
Donald Trump is here tonight. Now I know that he’s taken some flak 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 Tupac? All kidding aside, obviously we all know about your credentials and breadth of experience. For example … no seriously, just recently, in an episode of Celebrity Apprentice, at the steakhouse, the men’s cooking team did not impress the judges from Omaha Steaks. And there was a lot of blame to go around, but you, Mr. Trump, recognized that the real problem was a lack of leadership, and so ultimately you didn’t blame Lil Jon or Meat Loaf, you fired Gary Busey. And these are the kinds of decisions that would keep me up at night. Well handled, sir. Well handled. Say what you will about Mr. Trump, he certainly would bring some change to the White House. Let’s see what we’ve got up there.
Obama’s jokes at Trump’s expense are even more remarkable in retrospect, as they were made during the final stages of the preparation for the raid that resulted in the death of Osama bin Laden—the very kind of thing that does keep a President up at night. Trump relished the attention, even if he didn’t like the actual jokes, saying the dinner was “like a roast.”
The President referenced Trump again at the 2015 correspondents’ dinner, but didn’t mince words this time: “And Donald Trump is here,” he said. “Still.”
More Must-Reads from TIME
- Donald Trump Is TIME's 2024 Person of the Year
- Why We Chose Trump as Person of the Year
- Is Intermittent Fasting Good or Bad for You?
- The 100 Must-Read Books of 2024
- The 20 Best Christmas TV Episodes
- Column: If Optimism Feels Ridiculous Now, Try Hope
- The Future of Climate Action Is Trade Policy
- Merle Bombardieri Is Helping People Make the Baby Decision
Contact us at letters@time.com