United States President Joe Biden presented actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus and a number of other celebrities with a National Medal of Art on Tuesday night during a star-studded ceremony at the White House— all while hinting at his own reelection.
Louis-Dreyfus, 62, a Jewish American comedian, producer and actress best known for her roles in Saturday Night Live, Seinfeld and Veep, was awarded the honor in recognition of her "humor and wit that has helped to redefine American culture."
"She embraces life's absurdity with absolute wit and handles real-life turns with absolute grace. A mom, a cancer survivor, a pioneer for women in comedy, she is an American original," Biden said in the East Room.
"I’m going to talk to Julia later about whether she liked being VP or President better," Biden joked, a nod to Louis-Dreyfus' role as Vice President Selina Meyer on the Emmy-winning show Veep.
Twenty-two other artists and authors were also awarded National Medals of Art on Tuesday night, including musician Bruce Springsteen, actress Mindy Kaling and author Colson Whitehead.
Biden hints at 2024 run
While awarding Whitehead, who has penned eight novels, Biden noted that the author of The Underground Railroad has already won back-to-back multiple Pulitzer Prizes.
"Pretty good man," Biden said to Whitehead. "I’m kind of looking for a back-to-back myself," drawing laughter from the audience.
The president also presented 11 National Humanities Medals at the ceremony.