Standing Ovations for President Obama’s Final Comic Gig

LOS ANGELES — President Obama received standing ovations for his final White House Correspondents Association monologue that ended with him dropping his microphone and declaring “Obama out.”

Obama’s material on Saturday may not have matched some of his previous dinners, like his 2011 takedown of Donald Trump, who was in the room that year, but he still drew some of the loudest laughs in the room for quips, including those about an upcoming Goldman Sachs payday and getting high in college. Obama’s biting humor about CNN drew “oohs” from the crowd — as did other zingers at journalism, given the presence of the figures in the room. Noting his meeting with Kendall Jenner before the event, Obama said, “I am not sure what she does. But I am told my Twitter mentions will go through the roof.”

Veterans of the dinner say it has changed significantly, even under Obama, in its sheer size and scope. Many more people, lacking dinner tickets, come to the hotel to watch or attend the media pre-parties.

A telling sign of just how much the event has grown came during the dinner, when all of the White House correspondents were asked to stand up. Maybe 100 did, and it was readily apparent what a small fraction of the room it was. Obama then even quipped about the presence of “journalists” like Rachel McAdams — who played one in Spotlight, showcasing once again the POTUS’ signature wit. Reuters