--- title: White House Correspondents Dinner: Barack Obama's History description: It's one of Washington's goofier rituals: Each year, the president makes an appearance at the White House Correspondents Association dinner and tells jokes. The jokes... canonical: https://time.com/4312654/white-house-correspondents-association-dinner-obama-jokes/ author: TIME article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-04-29T16:42:11.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-05T08:50:21.878Z article:section: Politics og:title: Watch Obama's Presidency, As Told Through His Jokes og:description: All of his appearances at the White House Correspondents Association dinner. og:url: https://time.com/4312654/white-house-correspondents-association-dinner-obama-jokes/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt93cc2d89a3e1858b/69889137cd1bbadb177007cd/barack-obama-white-house-correspondents-dinner-jokes.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3500 og:image:height: 1969 og:image:alt: Barack Obama Addresses White House Correspondents Dinner og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Watch Obama's Presidency, As Told Through His Jokes twitter:description: All of his appearances at the White House Correspondents Association dinner. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt93cc2d89a3e1858b/69889137cd1bbadb177007cd/barack-obama-white-house-correspondents-dinner-jokes.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Watch the History of Obama's Presidency, as Told Through His Jokes > Sponsored content. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, twice a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=e8196de1-64ea-4675-a277-c86ffc03a9cd&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: The Obama Presidency, As Told By His Own Jokes [Watch (HLS stream): The Obama Presidency, As Told By His Own Jokes](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/PIPmGQBH.m3u8) (3:38)  _Published 2016-04-29. President Barack Obama's best jokes from the White House Correspondents' Dinner humorously tell the story of his administration_ by [Ryan Teague Beckwith](https://time.com/author/ryan-teague-beckwith/) ## Ryan Teague Beckwith Apr 29, 2016 4:42 PM UTC by [Ryan Teague Beckwith](https://time.com/author/ryan-teague-beckwith/) ## Ryan Teague Beckwith Apr 29, 2016 4:42 PM UTC It’s one of Washington’s goofier rituals: Each year, the president makes an appearance at the White House Correspondents Association dinner and tells jokes. The jokes tend to be topical: about the state of the presidency, things in the news, even re-election attempts. But that makes them a great time capsule of what was going on in the Administration that year. In this four-minute video, we’ve compiled the jokes that President Obama told at his previous appearances that show how things have changed since he took office in 2009. But there’s still time for a few more jokes, as Obama will speak Saturday night for the final time at the annual dinner. ## Transcript [ APPLAUSE ] I would like to welcome you all to the 10 day anniversary of my first 100 days. [ LAUGH ] In the next 100 days, I will learn to go off the prompter, and Joe Biden will learn to stay on the prompter. [ LAUGH ] It's been quite a year since I've spoken here last. Lots of ups, lots of downs, except for my approval ratings, which have just gone down. This year, I've experienced my share of disappointments. For example, I had my heart set on the Nobel Prize for Physics. [ LAUGH ] Hey, you can't win them all. [ LAUGH ] Yes I think it is fair to say that when it comes to my presidency, the honeymoon is over. Some people now suggest that I'm too professorial. [ LAUGH ] I'd like to address that head on by assigning all of you some reading [ LAUGH ] that will help you draw your own conclusions. No one is happier, no one is prouder To put this birth certificate matter to rest than to Donald. And that's because he can finally get back to focusing on the issues that matter. Did we fake the moon landing? What really happened in Roswell? And what really happened to Biggie and Tupac? [ LAUGH ] 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. And four years from now, I will look like this. [ APPLAUSE ] In my first term, we ended the war in Iraq. In my second term, I will win the war on Christmas. In my first term, we repealed the policy known as Don't Ask Don't Tell. In my second term, we will replace it With a policy known as it's raining men. Look, I get it. These days [ LAUGH ] I look in the mirror and I have to admit I'm not the strapping young Muslim socialist that I used to be. [ LAUGH ] Time passes, get a little gray. Yes, maybe I have lost a step. But some things are beyond my control. For example this whole controversy about Jay Z going to Cuba. It's unbelievable. I've got 99 problems and now Jay Z's one. [ LAUGH ] Can we get the new presidential setup out here? [ MUSIC ] I admit it. Last year was rough. We rolled out healthcare. gov. That could've gone better. [ LAUGH ] In 2008 my slogan was yes we can In 2013 my slogan was control, alt, delete. [ LAUGH ] On the plus side, they did turn the launch of healthcare. gov into one of the year's biggest movies. [ LAUGH ] Welcome to the White House correspondence dinner. The night when Washington celebrates itself. [ LAUGH ] Somebody's got to do it. [ LAUGH ] Being President is never easy. I still have to fix a broken immigration system, issue veto threats, negotiate with Iran, all while finding times to pray five times a day. [ LAUGH ] Which is strenuous. [ APPLAUSE ] I am determined to make the most of every moment I have left. Now after the mid- term elections my advisors asked me, Mr. President, do you have a bucket list? And I said, Well I have something that rhymes with bucket list. [ LAUGH ] Take executive action on immigration? Bucket! [ LAUGH ] New climate regulations? Bucket! [ LAUGH ] It's the right thing to do. And my new attitude is paying off. God bless you, God bless the United States of America. 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