Why did Mark Hamill call President Biden “Joe-B-Wan Kenobi” in the White House?
The actor who made his name by portraying Star Wars’ Luke Skywalker has been a frequent critic of former president Donald Trump.
There was a rare guest in the White House for 4 May, also known as Star Wars Day. Mark Hamill, who has starred in six of the nine-episode film series as Luke Skywalker, joined the press office.
“How many of you had Mark Hamill will lead the press briefing on your bingo cards?” he said to reporters. “I just got to meet the president and he gave me these aviator glasses.”
The actor has publicly expressed his support for Joe Biden plenty of times, particularly during the 2020 United States presidential election. He often posts on social media to voice that support.
May The Fourth Be The Day A Make-Believe Defender Of The Galaxy Met A Real-Life Defender Of Democracy@JoeBiden @POTUS pic.twitter.com/yXPlW7W7Y7
— Mark Hamill (@MarkHamill) May 4, 2024
Hamill said, “I called him ‘Mr. President.’ He said, ‘You can call me Joe.’ I said, ‘Can I call you Joe-B-Wan Kenobi?”
For those unaware of a near 50-year-old film series, Obi-Wan Kenobi is the Jedi master of Luke.
A war amongst the stars (and spangled banner)
Hamill, a staunch Democrat, has been a frequent critic of former president Donald Trump, using his platform to express his disapproval of the former President’s policies and actions.
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One notable instance of Hamill’s criticism was when he used his voice as the Joker from the Batman series to read out tweets from Trump. The tweet, which was posted on 31 December, 2016, said, “Happy New Year to all, including to my many enemies and those who have fought me and lost so badly they just don’t know what to do. Love!”
Expect plenty more to come out from the veteran actor should Trump regian the presidency later this year.