Star Wars' Mark Hamill Touts Biden as President 'Joe-bi Wan Kenobi'

Star Wars actor Mark Hamill praised President Joe Biden as "Joe-bi Wan Kenobi" during a surprise appearance at the White House.

Hamill, best known for portraying Luke Skywalker in the iconic sci-fi franchise, praised the president during a brief and seemingly impromptu visit to a regular media briefing, alongside White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on Friday.

The actor arrived to the press conference wearing Biden-supplied sunglasses and hailed the president's legislative track record before recalling that he had just compared him to the Star Wars character Obi-Wan Kenobi during a meeting in the Oval Office.

"How many of you had 'Mark Hamill will lead the press briefing' on your bingo card?" Hamill asked the reporters, prompting laughter. "I just got to meet the president and he gave me these aviator glasses. I love the merch, love it all."

"I was honored to be asked to come to the White House to meet the most legislatively successful president of my lifetime," he continued. "It just shows you, one person can be so influential and so positive in our lives."

Hamill went on to describe his visit with Biden as "so amazing," while revealing that he had previously made shorter White House visits during the administrations of former Presidents Jimmy Carter and Barack Obama.

Despite having jokingly asked the reporters for "no Star Wars questions, please," Hamill was then asked if Biden had mentioned the franchise during his visit.

"Well, you know, I called him 'Mr. President' and he said, 'You can call me Joe,'" Hamill responded. "I said, 'Can I call you Joe-bi Wan Kenobi?' He liked that."

Newsweek reached out for comment to the White House via email on Friday evening.

Conservatives, perhaps predictably, reacted with disdain to the remarks from Hamill, an outspoken Democrat who frequently mocks former President Donald Trump on social media.

"WTF is Mark Hamill doing at the press briefing while the Marxists are burning down the country," conservative pundit and former Trump administration official Monica Crowley posted to X, formerly Twitter.

"Just when you think that the Biden Regime can't possibly be a bigger embarrassment, they rolled out washed up actor Mark Hamill to tell everyone not to believe your lying eyes, because Crooked Joe Biden is doing a great job," wrote @LangmanVince.

"Mark Hamill isn't right in the head," @MAGAMichelleS69 said.

Friday was not the first time that Hamill has alluded to Star Wars for political purposes. In 2022, he signed up as an "ambassador" for Ukraine's United24 fundraising platform to bolster the country's "Army of Drones" program, while taking the opportunity to refer to Russia as the "evil empire."

Prior to the 2020 presidential election, Hamill compared Biden to Luke Skywalker, saying that "the force is strong" with the then-future president as he shared images of Biden spliced into Star Wars on X, then Twitter.

Former Trump campaign adviser Brad Parscale seemingly embraced the idea that Trump was part of the "empire" by comparing the Trump campaign to a Death Star, the gigantic weapon of mass destruction that appears in multiple Star Wars films.

Hamill has continued to regularly share pro-Biden and anti-Trump messages on X. This week, he has posted a series of political messages that appear to be in preparation for May 4—a special occasion for Star Wars fans who celebrate it as "May the Fourth" due to a resemblance to the film quote "may the force be with you."

"May The First Not Quench Your Thirst For Biden's Re-election! #BidenHarris2024," Hamill posted on Wednesday.

"May The Second Biden Administration Be As Productive and Successful As The 1st," he continued on Thursday.

"May The Third Be Absurd That The Guy Who Tried To Steal A Fair Election Is Allowed To Run Again," reads Hamill's most recent post on Friday.