President Joe Biden, 81, made the case on Wednesday for his reelection, arguing he is ready for four more years because “I’m in the 20th century.”
While speaking with reporters next to the president of Japan at the White House, Biden said, “Elect me. I’m in the 20th Century,” before correcting himself, saying, “the 21st century.”
It is not the first gaffe or inaccurate statement delivered by Biden, whom special counsel Robert Hur described as “an elderly man with a poor memory.” Numerous times, and perhaps several times during each speech, Biden makes embarrassing gaffes.
He has:
- Stated his favorite memory of 2023 was the alleged improvement of the U.S. economy
- Claimed he never met with Hunter Biden’s associates, despite photo evidence
- Said Russian President Vladimir Putin “cannot remain in power”
- Maintained he only had six grandchildren, ignoring Hunter Biden’s out-of-wedlock child
- Declared twice that his son died in Iraq
To decrease the number of mistakes, White House aides give Biden note cards and suggest he stay on a pre-written script, Reuters reported in January. His planned words are typically fully “crafted and vetted” by a host of advisers.
That strategy appeared to be deployed during his press conference on Wednesday. Asked about the Hamas/Israel war, Biden appeared to read answers from his note cards:
Biden’s public appearances will do little to calm worries about his mental fitness. Polling shows bad signs for the president:
- Quinnipiac: Only about one-quarter of voters say Biden is physically or mentally fit to serve a second term
- Fox News: 54 percent of Democrat primary voters prefer an alternative to Biden
- FiveThirtyEight: Joe Biden is the least popular president in modern history
- CNN: Majority say there is “no chance” they would vote for Biden in 2024
Despite the challenges, Biden claimed the American people can trust his words.
“No one ever doubts I mean what I say,” Biden told donors in September. “The problem is I sometimes say all that I mean.”
Wendell Husebo is a political reporter with Breitbart News and a former GOP War Room Analyst. He is the author of Politics of Slave Morality. Follow Wendell on “X” @WendellHusebø or on Truth Social @WendellHusebo.