--- title: The Obama Presidency, As Told By His Own Jokes | TIME description: President Barack Obama's best jokes from the White House Correspondents' Dinner humorously tell the story of his administration canonical: https://time.com/video/PIPmGQBH/ og:title: The Obama Presidency, As Told By His Own Jokes og:description: President Barack Obama's best jokes from the White House Correspondents' Dinner humorously tell the story of his administration og:url: https://time.com/video/PIPmGQBH/ og:image: https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/PIPmGQBH/poster.jpg?width=720 og:type: video.other twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: The Obama Presidency, As Told By His Own Jokes twitter:description: President Barack Obama's best jokes from the White House Correspondents' Dinner humorously tell the story of his administration twitter:image: https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/PIPmGQBH/poster.jpg?width=720 --- # The Obama Presidency, As Told By His Own Jokes > Sponsored content. 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They are at time.com/newsletters and are separate from a paid subscription. ## 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_ --- Jul 27, 2023 8:01 PM UTC --- ## More From This Series [All Videos](https://time.com/video/) [Watch Obama's Full White House Correspondent's Dinner Speech](/video/gqxHDzAn/) ### Watch Obama's Full White House Correspondent's Dinner Speech [President Obama's White House Correspondents Dinner Speech](/video/NAIAzeKh/) ### President Obama's White House Correspondents Dinner Speech [President Obama at White House Correspondents Dinner](/video/NqwWkUiV/) ### President Obama at White House Correspondents 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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