Obama’s mic drop (2016)

Larry Wilmore skewered the media when he hosted the White House correspondents’ dinner in 2016, but it was Barack Obama who, in his final months in office, got the biggest laughs of the night. “In my final year, my approval ratings keep going up,” Obama said. “The last time I was this high, I was trying to decide on my major.”

He lambasted the GOP, including congressional republicans, GOP chairman Reince Priebus (“Glad to see you that you feel that you’ve earned a night off…The Republican Party, the nomination process, it’s all going great”), and, of course, Trump, who didn’t attend that year, either (“What could he possibly be doing instead? Is he at home, eating a Trump Steak, tweeting out insults to Angela Merkel?”).

He also showed us how foolishly confident the Democrats were this time last year. “Next year at this time someone else will be standing here in this very spot,” Obama said, “and it’s anyone’s guess who she will be.”

Stephen Colbert demolishes George W. Bush (2006)

Then there was 2006, when Stephen Colbert roasted George W. Bush. He wasn’t mean-spirited, but he sure didn’t hold back either.

“I know there’s some polls out there saying that this man has a 32-percent approval rating. But guys like us, we don’t pay attention to the polls. We know that polls are just a collection of statistics that reflect what people are thinking in ‘reality.’ And reality has a well-known liberal bias.”

That statement is as applicable now as it was then.

Laura Bush has jokes (2005)

In 2005, headliner Cedric the Entertainer even had George W. Bush’s national security advisor Condoleezza Rice laughing heartily with his cracks about her first name.

“I love that name, Condoleezza. It’s so soulful,” said Cedric the Entertainer, whose real name is Cedric Kyles. “You know, she’s very professional, but Condoleezza—come on, right there. Condoleezza. It’s two people, though. You know, the name is broken down. There’s the Condi, who’s—that’s the person you see on television with, you know, the nice hair and very professional. Then there’s the Leezza. She the one with her hair wrapped up on the phone with her girlfriend watching BET…”

But it was the president’s wife, Laura Bush, who stole the show with her “desperate housewife” routine.

Obama and Seth Meyers tag team Trump (2011)

Trump has taken abuse at White House correspondents’ dinners before. But the 2011 event has gone down in infamy. Obama tore into Trump that year to get revenge for the birther conspiracy.

“No one is happier, no one is prouder to put this birth certificate matter to rest than the Donald,” Obama said. “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?”

Obama went on about Trump for a full five minutes (paywall). And, to settle the matter, he brought along his own birthing video—a clip from Disney’s The Lion King.

Then, after Obama had his fill, the featured comedian, Seth Meyers, finished Trump off. “Donald Trump has been saying that he will run for president as a Republican—which is surprising, since I just assumed that he was running as a joke.”

The joke is on Meyers now.

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