Star Wars actor Mark Hamill made an appearance at the White House on Friday but did not provide the powerful celebrity endorsement that Joe Biden may have hoped for.
Sporting a pair of aviator sunglasses, Hamill was introduced to the podium by Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre but did not show the same stage presence as in his famous role as Luke Skywalker.
“How many of you had Mark Hamill will lead the press briefing on your bingo cards?” Hamill remarked. “I just got to meet the president and he gave me these aviator glasses."
Mark Hamill is at the White House press briefing today making cringe Star Wars jokes.
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) May 3, 2024
Not like there’s anything important going on in the world at the moment!
pic.twitter.com/Qjryh8Wx1M
He then went on to tell a lame Star Wars-themed joke, which received a polite ripple of laughter from the press corps.
“I called him ‘Mr. President.’ He said, ‘You can call me Joe,'" he quipped. “I said, ‘Can I call you Joe-B-Wan Kenobi?'”
Hamill then paid homage to the 81-year-old president of whom he is a fanatical supporter:
I just wanted to say I was honoured to be asked to come to the White House to meet the president, the most legislatively successful president in my lifetime. And you know I don't have to go through the list, the bipartisan infrastructure, the PACT Act, the Chips Act, all of that, inflation, 15 million jobs.
Look, it is all good. I mean, I was really thrilled to meet the entire staff because, you know, it is just not one person. It is like a composite endeavor, and all these people, my goodness, I had no idea just what went into what is on his plate on a daily basis. I want to say, once again, how grateful I am, and that just shows you that one person can be so influential and so positive in our lives," he said.
It wasn't clear whether the reason Hamill was invited was to celebrate Star Wars Day, which is celebrated on May 4th, because of the pun "May the fourth be with you."
Equally as embarrassing is the activity on Hamill's X feed, in which he has been making a series of politically themed Star Wars-related puns aimed at rallying support for Biden's reelection campaign.
May The First Not Quench Your Thirst For Biden’s Re-election!#BidenHarris2024 🇺🇸
— Mark Hamill (@MarkHamill) May 2, 2024
May The Second Biden Administration Be As Productive and Successful As The 1st
— Mark Hamill (@MarkHamill) May 2, 2024
May The Third Be Absurd That The Guy Who Tried To Steal A Fair Election Is Allowed To Run Again
— Mark Hamill (@MarkHamill) May 3, 2024
Hamill is not always in the left's good books. Last October, he received a major backlash from anti-Zionists after declaring that "America stands with Israel" in the wake of the Hamas terrorist attacks.
America stands with Israel ✊#ALWAYS pic.twitter.com/kM3e9S125s
— Mark Hamill (@MarkHamill) October 8, 2023
Many of his critics responded by invoking Luke Skywalker, arguing that Israel stood for the evil empire and that Palestine represents the Jedi resistance.
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