Over the past two weeks, the country has devolved into chaos as campuses nationwide featured Palestinian flags, chants calling for an “intifada” uprising against Israeli “occupation,” and shouting slogans like, “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” — an anti-Semitic chestnut routinely heard around “anti-Nazi” Democrat water coolers these days.
Fellow students became enemies, and universities were divided between pro-Israel and anti-Israel factions, with one group screaming slurs and threats at the other and even preventing them from attending classes.
But at the Biden White House, there was giggling and excitement as “Star Wars” legend Mark Hamill paid the president a visit and then took over the White House press briefing.
The 71-year-old Hamill followed White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre into the briefing room and stood behind her.
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“Oh my goodness, I wonder why?” Jean-Pierre exclaimed as if the meeting were a kindergarten show-and-tell rather than a press briefing in the middle of some of the nation’s most turbulent weeks in recent history.
“Don’t say things don’t get exciting in here sometimes,” Jean Pierre exclaimed, practically gushing as she reiterated that she was “really excited” to introduce Hamill to them.
Hamill then took to the podium, joking with reporters, “How many of you had ‘Mark Hamill will lead the press briefing’ on your bingo card? Hands?”
“Yeah, me either,” he said.
Would Ronald Reagan’s White House have ever tried a stunt like this?
Hamill explained that he had just met with President Joe Biden, who gifted him a pair of sunglasses. “I love the merch, I love it all.”
“But listen, I just want to say I was honored to be asked to come to the White House to meet the president, the most legislatively successful president in my lifetime,” Hamill said, proving his exceptional acting skills.
“And, you know, I don’t have to go through the list — the bipartisan infrastructure law, the PACT Act, the CHIPS Act, all that. Inflation, 15 million jobs, it’s all good,” he said.
The actor opened the floor to questions but added, “No ‘Star Wars’ questions, please,” as if anything else he had to say would be of interest to either reporters or the American people.
When questioned by a reporter about the nature of his meeting with the president, Hamill said that while he had anticipated a brief five-minute interaction, the conversation extended much longer than expected. According to the actor, Biden took the time to show him various photographs, making the experience particularly memorable, and it had been the first time Hamill had been in the Oval Office, although he had been to the White House before.
‘Well, you know, I called him Mr. President. He said, ‘You can call me Joe.’ And I said, “Can I call you Joe B.-Wan Kenobi?’” Hamill said.
“He liked that,” the actor said.
While Hamill’s surprise appearance left many in the media puzzled, several outlets, including the Daily Mail, speculated that his visit was intentionally timed to celebrate the unofficial “Star Wars Day” on May 4. This date is celebrated by Star Wars fans worldwide because when pronounced aloud, “May the 4th” sounds similar to the beginning of the iconic phrase “May the Force be with you” from the beloved sci-fi franchise.
Not everyone was tickled to see the aging actor at the press briefing.
Fox News anchor Shannon Bream, who was on the air at the time, said, “All right so, this is happening now. You’ve got a former president on trial at New York State Supreme Court, you’ve got anti-Semitic protests happening on college campuses all over the country, and Mark Hamill is at the podium at the White House press briefing!” according to The Daily Beast.
Social media users also had a few opinions about the star’s guest appearance.
“This is the cringiest thing I’ve seen on X this week and that is saying something,” one person commented.
Mark Hamill says he called Joe Biden “Jobi-Wan Kenobi”. pic.twitter.com/Ej31JwTAQZ
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) May 3, 2024
“Mark Hamill is at the White House press briefing today making cringe Star Wars jokes. Not like there’s anything important going on in the world at the moment!” another comment read.
Mark Hamill is at the White House press briefing today making cringe Star Wars jokes.
Not like there’s anything important going on in the world at the moment!
pic.twitter.com/Qjryh8Wx1M— Greg Price (@greg_price11) May 3, 2024
“May the Farce be with him,” another X user quipped.
May the Farce be with him.
— Nstig8r (@Nstig8tor62) May 3, 2024
From transgender Tik-Tokers displaying their mutilated breasts on the White House lawn to aging movie stars in the Oval Office, the White House seems desperate to use every angle of influence they can muster to distract from the train wreck of the last four years, ranging from the overrun Southern border to the occupied universities and a struggling middle class.
But as the polls keep showing, the American people are no longer fascinated with influencers who do not understand the struggles of the everyday American.
Compare Hamill’s bizarre appearance at the media briefing to former President Donald Trump’s visit to a Brooklyn firehouse just a day earlier, or Biden’s highly produced star-studded fundraising gala to Trump’s “come as you are” open-air rallies.
The Biden administration is certainly trying hard to convince Americans that even if he’s not the right man for the job, he’s certainly got the coolest friends and he’s trying his best.
But in politics, as in “Star Wars,” the wise words of Yoda ring true: “Do or do not. There is no try.”
