Biden praises media coverage in Ukraine

President Biden on Thursday praised the media’s coverage of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine ahead of the annual White House Correspondents’ Association dinner this weekend.

“I might note parenthetically, you know, there’s a dinner this weekend to celebrate the press. Think of what the American press has done. The courage it’s taken to stay in these war zones. The courage it’s taken to report every single day,” Biden said in remarks from the White House about a new package of aid he is requesting from Congress. The remarks on the media appeared to be off-script.

“I’ve always had respect for the press, but I can’t tell you how much respect I have watching, watching them in these zones where they’re under fire, risking their own lives to make sure the world hears the truth. Imagine if we weren’t getting that information. I would be a different world, it would be a different circumstance,” he said.

Biden will be the first president to attend this weekend’s dinner since President Obama in 2016.

Former President Trump skipped the dinner, and the dinner itself was canceled in 2020 and 2021 because of the pandemic.

There is now some criticism over whether Biden should attend the dinner given rising COVID-19 cases. Vice President Harris tested positive for the virus this week.

The White House on Wednesday said Biden, 79, would skip the “eating” part of the dinner to reduce his presence.