Joe Biden Slams Ted Cruz At Political Roast Event

Joe Biden slams Ted Cruz at the Gridiron Dinner, an annual event where politicians mock other politicians.

Image via The Late Show

So apparently there's a night every year where a bunch of politicians gather to make jokes about one another. The event, known as the Gridiron Dinner, had Joe Biden present last night, and the VP had some not so nice things to say about a few of the Republicans running for president. Naturally, Ted Cruz was his main focus.

Considering there's a vacancy in the Supreme Court after Associate Justice Antonin Scalia died last month, Biden had some opinions on who he believed should take the spot. He said, "Ted Cruz? An inspiration to every kid in America who worries that he'll never be able to run for president because nobody likes him. He's running. And look, I told Barack, if you really, really want to remake the Supreme Court, nominate Cruz. Before you know it, you'll have eight vacancies."

Boom. Although there's no video footage from the Gridiron Dinner, according to the New York Times, it was once a pretty private occasion. We're fortunate that transcripts of jokes made at the event now make their way to the public.

In addition to making fun of Cruz, Biden also addressed—in joking form—a speech he made back at 1992 that Republicans are now bringing up against him and President Obama. In his speech from then, Biden argued that a president should not be able to nominate anyone to the Supreme Court on an election year.

Now, almost 25 years later, he gave the perfect response to his critics. "A lot of you have brought up a clip from a speech I made in 1992," he began. "Look, what can I tell you? That was a different time. A Clinton was at the top of the polls. The Bush dynasty was in trouble. Donald Trump was saying outlandish things. As I said, a totally different time."

But in all seriousness, Biden did address the speech he made in an New York Times editorial last week. What he didn't do: accuse Cruz of being the Zodiac Killer. 

Latest in Life