Not since the verbal miscues of George W. Bush 20 years ago has America had as blunder-prone a president as Joe Biden.
The 46th president’s record of slip-ups dates back for decades, and he even called himself a “gaffe machine” long before taking office. As such, 2022 was no exception to the rule, with Biden issuing verbal slip-ups on a near-weekly basis.
‘MATH IS HARD’: BIDEN HAS ‘TWO WORDS: MADE IN AMERICA’
Though there are too many to recount on such a short list, the Washington Examiner dug through and found what we felt were the top 10 Biden blunders of the year. In no particular order, they are as follows.
“Repeat the line”
The president endured a major teleprompter fail in July when he accidentally read instructions rather than doing what those instructions told him to do.
“End of quote. Repeat the line,” he said at a White House event.
No. He said, “let me repeat that line.”
— Emilie Simons (@EmilieSimons46) July 8, 2022
Though a White House staffer claimed Biden was saying, “Let me repeat that line,” the damage was done, and another slip-up entered the history books.
“I… have cancer”
During the same month, the president raised eyebrows by appearing to say he had cancer during a speech in Massachusetts.
The president was speaking in Massachusetts to announce $2.3 billion in new funding to combat climate change when he detailed a story from his childhood about air pollution.
“That’s why I and so damn many other people I grew up [with] have cancer,” Biden said. “For the longest time, Delaware had the highest cancer rate in the nation, but that’s the past.”
Did Joe Biden just announce he has cancer?
“That’s why I — and so damn many other people I grew up with — have cancer.” pic.twitter.com/lkm7AHJATX
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) July 20, 2022
Biden’s latest presidential bill of health noted that prior to entering office, he had a number of cancerous lesions removed. He was also diagnosed with asthma as a child, which kept him from serving in Vietnam. But he does not have cancer today.
During the same speech, Biden referred to a male Massachusetts lawmaker as “she” and said Glasgow was in England rather than Scotland.
“Where’s Jackie?”
One of the most cringe-inducing blunders came during a September speech, in which Biden appeared to call out for Rep. Jackie Walorski (R-IN), who had died in a tragic car crash almost two months prior.
“Jackie, are you here?” Biden asked. “Where’s Jackie? I thought she was going to be here — to help make this a reality.”
Just as bizarre as the statement was the White House press team’s response, which involved press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre repeatedly saying that Biden simply had Walorski “top of mind.”
“The president was naming the congressional champions on this issue and was acknowledging her incredible work,” she told reporters, adding he will soon see her family. “So, of course, she was on his mind.”
Jean-Pierre even claimed, “I don’t think it’s at all unusual” that the president called for the deceased congresswoman. Reporters persisted with several follow-ups, but the press secretary stuck with her line.
Selfish troops
The military at home and abroad received a lot of attention following the brutal Russian invasion of Ukraine in February. But Biden appeared to say the opposite of what he meant during a summer speech in the Middle East.
“For the first time since 9/11, an American president is visiting this region without American troops being engaged in combat — in a combat mission in the region,” Biden said in Saudi Arabia. “We’ll always honor the bravery and selfishness — selflessness — of the, and sacrifices of the Americans who served, including my son, Maj. Beau Biden, who was stationed in Iraq for a year.”
Secretary of State Antony Blinken, situated near the president during the speech, became noticeably uncomfortable after the awkward slip of the tongue.
BIDEN: “We’ll always honor the bravery and selfishness, selflessness, of the and sacrifices of the Americans who served.” pic.twitter.com/5I8LhuhN2B
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) July 16, 2022
Wrong country
Also in reference to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Biden said President Vladimir Putin will never win over the people — of Iran.
“Putin may circle Kyiv with tanks,” the president declared, less than a week after Russia launched its invasion. “But he will never gain the hearts and souls of the Iranian people.”
Yes, Biden just said “Iranian” instead of “Ukrainian”.
A gaffe, but technically true since Putin *is* unlikely to gain the hearts and souls of the Iranian people.
— Andrew Feinberg (@AndrewFeinberg) March 2, 2022
How many Delaware senators?
Biden is proud of his adopted home state, which he represented in the Senate for 36 years before becoming vice president in 2009. He often mentions the First State in speeches, usually with accurate statements.
That wasn’t the case in May, when the president appeared to suggest he’s the first-ever senator from Delaware.
“There have not been many of the senators from Delaware. It’s a small state. As a matter of fact, there has never been one,” he said at a White House event marking the end of Ramadan, the Muslim holy month. “And so I want to take advantage of making sure I introduce [a fellow Delaware native].”
In case it isn’t obvious, Biden meant to say president rather than senator. There have in fact been 58 Delaware senators since 1788.
Swiss Miss
The president switched Sweden for its European neighbor Switzerland in touting the former’s ascension to NATO in a June speech.
“Some of the American press will remember when I got a phone call from the leader of Finland saying could he come and see me,” Biden said. “He came the next day and said, ‘Will you support my joining, my country joining NATO?’ We got on the telephone, and he suggested we call the leader of Switzerland — Switzerland, my goodness. I’m getting really anxious here about expanding NATO — of Sweden.”
Switzerland is a historically neutral nation that shares a border with NATO members Italy, France, and Germany, but it has yet to express interest in joining the alliance. However, Sweden has applied for NATO membership, a point on which Biden quickly corrected himself.
“Accommodate the Russian oligarchs”
Biden issued plenty of tough talk about Russia and its infamous oligarchs throughout 2022 as he decried the invasion of Ukraine. But there were still blunders to go around.
“I’m also sending to Congress a comprehensive package of — that will enhance our underlying effort to accommodate the Russian oligarchs and make sure we take their ill-begotten gains,” Biden said in April.
“Ha, we’re going to ‘accommodate’ them,” he added, laughing at his own mistake. He also struggled to pronounce the word “kleptocracy.”
“But these are bad guys,” he added.
Kamala’s president?
Biden has referred to Vice President Kamala Harris as president more than once. Perhaps he’s giving a subtle nod toward which Democrat he wants to replace him in the Oval Office — or maybe it’s just another slip-up.
“Kamala won’t be the last woman to be vice president or president,” Biden said in September.
“Kamala won’t be the last woman to be vice president, or president.”
— President Biden, speaking at the White House’s Jewish New Year celebration pic.twitter.com/uY9jKy1yAw
— The Recount (@therecount) September 30, 2022
Three is more than two
Biden began an October speech in Maryland with one of his quickest blunders, which went unnoticed among most of the gathered crowd.
“Let me start off with two words,” he said from a Volvo factory in Hagerstown. “Made in America.”
Math is hard.
“One of the most congresswoman”
Speaking of math, we’re going off-script to offer an 11th entry in our top 10 list. In this bonus entry from October, Biden offered a head-scratcher in introducing “one of the most congresswoman in the Congress” from New York.
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And with that, the calendar turns to 2023, wherein the president is likely to add several more entries to the list during his third year in office. Stay tuned.
