Star Wars Jedi Master Leads White House Press Briefing
Everyone knows that May the 4th is unofficially Star Wars day due to the date sounding a lot like the classic line “may the force be with you”. However, activities to celebrate the day are not usually anything that remarkable, with many fans simply posting Star Wars memes or enjoying a Star Wars marathon. However, this year certainly livened things up as Mark Hamill was invited to the White House to meet President Biden and speak at a press briefing!
Mark Hamill is of course synonymous with Star Wars, playing the protagonist Luke Skywalker in the original trilogy and reprising the role on multiple occasions over the years, such as in the sequel trilogy and in The Mandalorian. Hamill’s role in the public eye regarding Star Wars has understandably become less prominent as others have taken on the lead roles in the franchise at this point. However, he is undeniably still the face of Star Wars, and him crossing paths with the President of the United States shocked everyone.
Apparently, President Biden is a fan of Star Wars himself and it sounds like he reacted pretty positively to Mark Hamill being there. When Hamill spoke at the press conference, he recounted meeting the President earlier in the day.
“When I called him Mr. President he said, ‘You can call me Joe’. And I said, ‘Can I call you JoeBi-Wan Kenobi’? He liked that,” the actor said. Hamill also noted that the President gave him his aviator sunglasses. Since Biden has been known to wear them in public, Hamill was appreciative of the gift.
It made for a fun, light-hearted vibe to the press briefing, likely a welcome break for reporters and politicians alike who have to deal with the daily struggles of the world. Mark Hamill was received very enthusiastically and had those in attendance laughing with his upbeat manner. Evidently this was not Hamill’s first time getting to visit the White House, though it does sound like this might perhaps have become his favorite visit due to some special moments he got to experience.
“He showed us all these photographs and it was really amazing to me,” Mark Hamill said of meeting President Biden. Hamill said he expected his interactions with the President to last five minutes. But he was pleasantly surprised that Biden took the time to have a conversation with him.
“I was invited to the Carter White House and I came. And then I came to the Obama White House, but I never was invited into the Oval Office and it was a large gathering. So this one was really extra special,” he added. When it came to politics, Mark Hamill was also very complimentary of what President Biden has done during his term. Hamill called Biden’s time as president the most legislatively successful president of his lifetime.
He commended Biden for counteracting inflation, creating jobs, and leading bipartisan initiatives. No celebrity has to be a fan of a president to accept the honor of visiting the White House. But it likely meant a lot to the President and his team to have the approval of such a beloved public figure.
This will certainly mark one May the 4th that Star Wars fans will be able to remember quite well. It is not every day a Jedi Master visits the White House, so Mark Hamill getting to have that moment is something that spread a lot of joy for the Star Wars community.
