Every year, the president makes jokes at the Gridiron Club dinner, an event where journalists and politicians schmooze during a white-tie dinner for a night in D.C. President Obama pokes fun at the media, his political opponents, even Vice President Biden.
This year, though, the president brought up his faith, a subject that has been controversial throughout his presidency. Obama speaks regularly about his faith in more serious settings, but on Saturday night, he folded faith into his jokes.
While taking shots at his political opponents, Obama poked fun at Wisconsin’s Republican governor, Scott Walker, who is considering a presidential run. In February, Walker said he does not know whether Obama is a Christian. The president brought up the exchange in his speech.
“The other week he said he didn’t know whether or not I was a Christian. And I was taken aback,” Obama said of Walker. “But fortunately my faith teaches us forgiveness. So, Governor Walker, as-salamu alaykum.”
As-salamu alaykum is an Arabic greeting meaning “peace be upon you” regularly exchanged during Muslim sermons. After laughter from the audience, Obama continued poking fun at Walker during his speech.
“Scott also recently punted on a question of evolution, which I do think is a problem. I absolutely believe in the theory of evolution — when it comes to gay marriage.”
Obama said he had “evolved” on the issue of gay marriage when he came out in support of same-sex marriage.
Obama publicly opposed same-sex marriage for years until an interview with ABC News in 2012 when he says his views were “evolving.” David Axelrod, former chief campaign adviser to Obama, recently said in his new book that Obama had lied about opposing same-sex marriage during his 2008 campaign when he supported it personally.
Obama also poked fun at Ben Carson, another potential presidential candidate in the audience, on his recent statements about what happens in prison being proof homosexuality is a choice.
“He wants to make it clear that being here was a choice,” Obama said of Carson. “The fact is, Doctor, embracing homosexuality is not something you do because you go to prison. It’s something you do because your vice president can’t keep a secret on ‘Meet the Press.’”
In 2012, Biden came out in support of same-sex marriage on “Meet the Press,” ahead of Obama’s announcement that he had shifted on the issue.
Obama also joked about the criticism he received over comparisons he made at the National Prayer Breakfast between the Crusades, slavery and Jim Crow laws while blasting the Islamic State.
“Recently, I made some comments about the Crusades, and people started blowing it all out of proportion, scrutinizing every single word,” Obama said. “What is this, the Spanish Inquisition?”
Obama also joked about his birth certificate, the subject of many jokes throughout his presidency.
“God bless you,” Obama said to conclude his speech. “And God bless one of the many countries that I love.”
Obama’s faith has been widely scrutinized by the public. Even after four years in office and repeatedly telling his Christian conversion story, only half of Americans surveyed in 2012 said he is a Christian. The survey by Pew Research found that 17 percent of registered voters said that Obama is Muslim; 49 percent said he is Christian, while 31 percent said they do not know Obama’s religion.
At this year’s National Prayer Breakfast, a gathering of religious and political leaders, Obama made references to his personal faith and a need for humility several times. On Saturday, Obama responded to some of the sustained scrutiny of his faith with humor. Perhaps the fact that he can poke fun of it so publicly signals a new level of comfort with his faith.