Just in time for May the 4th – also known as Star Wars day – Luke Skywalker traded in his lightsaber for a pair of aviator shades and showed up to surprised reporters gathered in the White House briefing room.
“I just got to meet the President,” said actor Hamill, known for playing the iconic character. “He gave me these aviator glasses...”
In addition to thanking President Joe Biden for the “merch,” the 72-year-old “Star Wars” star praised Biden as “the most legislatively successful president in my lifetime,” citing the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the PACT Act, the CHIPS Act and job creation.
“I mean, I was really thrilled to meet the entire staff because you know it’s not just one person,” Hamill said. “It’s like a composite endeavor. And all these people – my goodness. You know, I mean, I have no idea – I had no idea just what went into what is on his plate on a daily basis.”
Hamill also said that he thought the meeting would just last five minutes. However, they hung out long enough for Hamill to call the commander-in-chief “Joe-bi-Wan-Kenobi,” in honor of his on-screen Jedi master.
“He liked that,” Hamill assured the press.
When asked by the press why Hamill dropped by the briefing, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre explained that they simply thought it would be fun to lighten things up. Indeed, the rest of the briefing did cover heavy topics, from the Israel-Hamas war and anti-war protests popping up at college campuses in the U.S. to border security.
Jean-Pierre also said Hamill is “very much invested in our country, very much invested in — in the direction of this country.”