WASHINGTON — “Star Wars” actor Mark Hamill visited President Biden at the White House Friday, one day ahead of the annual “May the 4th” fan celebration of the sci-fi franchise.
Hamill, 72, stunned reporters by walking into the press briefing room shortly after meeting Biden, 81.
“I just got to meet the president. He gave me these aviator glasses — I love the merch,” Hamill said, showing off his new pair of shades.
The actor has been an outspoken backer of both Biden and Israel amid widespread protests and riots on college campuses opposed to both the president and the Jewish state’s ongoing invasion of the Gaza Strip targeting the Hamas terror organization.
“America stands with Israel ,” Hamill posted on Instagram last month — after signing an open letter in October condemning jihadists for murdering about 1,200 civilians on Oct. 7.
Hamill didn’t discuss the Middle East war in his brief appearance before the press.
“He said, ‘You can call me Joe,’” the actor recounted.
“And I said, ‘Can I call you Joe-bi-Won Kenobi?‘ And he liked that.”
Hamill said he expected a short hello in the Oval Office, but said he was kept back while Biden “showed us all his photographs.”
“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,” he said.
Hamill then gushed about Biden’s performance — as polls show the president with a dismal average approval rating of 40.1% as he seeks re-election in November, dragged down by what polls show is broad frustration over high inflation and illegal immigration.
“To me, the president is the most legislatively successful president in my lifetime and you know, I don’t have to go through the list: the bipartisan infrastructure law, the PACT Act, the CHIPS Act, all that — inflation, 15 million jobs, it’s all good,” Hamill said.
“I mean, I was really thrilled to meet the entire staff because you know, it’s not just one person. It’s like a composite endeavor … I had no idea just what went into what is on his plate on a daily basis.”
Hamill also praised New York Times reporter Peter Baker, seated in the second row of the briefing room, saying he “loved” Baker’s latest book.
“I’m open to questions. Although no Star Wars questions, please,” Hamill said, ultimately giving little away in his two replies.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre later was pressed on the precise reason for Hamill’s visit with Biden, but would say only it was “a meeting about what the president has been able to do on behalf of the American people.”
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