President Barack Obama has proven his comic credentials during a speech to the White House Correspondent's Association dinner in Washington DC.

Whilst he predominantly took aim at his political rivals, he opened with a joke about his Secretary of State and former rival, Hillary Clinton.

"Despite many obstacles, much has changed during my time in office. Four years ago I was locked in a brutal primary battle with Hillary Clinton. Four years later, she won't stop drunk texting me from Cartagena," he said.

Referencing Republican rival Mitt Romney, the President said: "We both think of our wives as our better halves, and polls show to an alarmingly insulting extent, the American people agree. We both also have degrees from Harvard. I have one, and he has two. What a snob."

In keeping with tradition, there was a nod to recent headlines, including the scandal over allegations that US Secret Service agents paid prostitutes in Colombia earlier this month.

"Just to set the record straight, I do enjoy attending these dinners. In fact, I had a lot more material prepared but I have to get the Secret Service home in time for their new curfew."