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Mark Hamill, the Star Wars actor, made a surprise appearance at the White House on Friday, revealing that Joe Biden had given him a pair of the president's trademark aviator sunglasses in return for a new nickname: Joe-bi Wan Kenobi. The 72-year-old, best known for playing Luke Skywalker in the sci-fi franchise, surprised reporters with an unannounced cameo at the daily press briefing. In the briefing, the actor praised the US president's work and said they had joked together in the Oval Office. He said the pair had looked over photographs together. "Look, I just got to meet the president. He gave me these aviator glasses," he told reporters. "I love the merch. Love it all." He praised Mr Biden for his "Bidenomics" policies, describing him as "the most legislatively successful president in my lifetime". He added: "I don't have to go through the list of bipartisan infrastructure law, the PACT Act, the CHIPS Act, all that inflation, 15 million jobs. "It's all good. 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 endeavour." After telling the press pack that he would take "no Star Wars questions, please," one reporter asked him whether they had discussed the film series during his visit. "Well, you know, I called him Mr President," Hamill said. "He said, 'You can call me Joe', and I said: 'Can I call you Joe-bi Wan Kenobi?' He liked that. "First of all, I only expected him to be there for like five minutes. He 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 and it was a large gathering. So this one was really extra special." Hamill is a longtime supporter of Mr Biden and a vocal critic of his rival Donald Trump, who he often mocks online for his "verbal catastrophes". The actor previously headlined a fundraiser for Mr Biden and appeared in one of his political adverts during the 2020 election campaign. Hamill also expressed his support for Sadiq Khan, the London mayor, during the most recent mayoral election on Thursday. "I LOVE London! Lived there for years while filming & our 1st child was born there, in St. John's Wood," he tweeted on Tuesday. "I wholeheartedly support Sadiq Khan for Mayor on May 2. He's been a driving force in cleaning up London's air & choosing #HopeOverFear."
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