Is there ‘a new hope’ for President Joe Biden’s reelection campaign?
Star Wars star Mark Hamill made a surprise appearance Friday in the White House briefing room and revealed to reporters he had just gotten a tour of the Oval Office from Biden himself.
Hamill, a vocal liberal on Twitter, praised the president’s record and debuted a potential new Biden nickname.
‘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?’ the Luke Skywalker actor said. ‘He liked that,’ Hamill added.
While press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre didn’t entirely explain why Hamill was in town, Saturday marks Star Wars Day nationally – as May the fourth resembles the sci-fi movie franchise’s slogan: ‘May the force be with you.’
Star Wars actor Mark Hamill (left) paid a surprise visit to the White House briefing room Friday alongside White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre
The actor came out wearing a pair of aviators which he said was a gift from President Joe Biden. He took them off to briefly take questions from the press
Mark Hamill (right) gave White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre (left) a hug as he departed the White House briefing room Friday afternoon
During the briefing, Hamill entered the room with Jean-Pierre and stood behind her sporting a pair of shades.
‘How many of you have Mark Hamill will lead the press briefing on your BINGO card,’ he asked surprised journalists. ‘Yeah, me neither,’ the actor joked.
‘I just got to meet the president and he gave me these aviator glasses,’ Hamill went on. ‘I love the merch, I love it all.’
He then explained why he was a continued supporter of the Biden administration.
‘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,’ said the 72-year-old. ‘And I don’t have to go through the list, the bipartisan infrastructure law, the PACT Act, the CHIPS Act. 15 million jobs. It’s all good.’
Hamill said he was also ‘thrilled’ to meet many members of the White House staff too.
‘I’m open to questions although, no Star Wars questions, please,’ he joked, adding, ‘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 of Biden.
‘And again, thank you so much. And Peter Baker, I loved your book,’ Hamill said, giving a shout-out to the prominent New York Times reporter.
The actor was asked what he talked about with the president.
He answered that he only expected to with Biden for five minutes – but revealed the meeting lasted longer.
‘He showed us all of his photographs. And you know, it was really amazing to me because you know 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 … so this one was really extra special,’ Hamill said.
Once he left, Jean-Pierre chuckled, ‘I don’t even know where to go from there,’ as staff could be heard applauding the actor as he walked back into the White House press office.
‘They had a meeting about what the president has been able to do on behalf of the American people. Mark Hamill was in town. They met,’ Jean-Pierre said, calling it ‘important.’
‘You all know Mark Hamill,’ she continued, noting how he’s ‘invested’ in the country.
‘And we thought it would be fun for him to come up here and lighten up, lighten up the room on a Friday, we also believe that you guys – there are some Star Wars fans in here,’ Jean-Pierre said.