President Joe Biden used the phrase “the idea” 27 times in the 90-minute debate against former President Trump on Thursday.
Biden attempted to resurrect several debunked Democrat talking points — from the “very fine people” hoax to the “suckers and losers” fabrication. But when he was not wide-eyed and stumbling over his own words, Biden stuck to his trusty phrase.
Here are 27 times Biden repeated the phrase “the idea” during the CNN debate.
1. Biden first said the phrase during a Q&A on abortion, which he used to bizarrely downplay illegal immigration crime by stating that women are also raped by in-laws, spouses, brothers, and sisters.
“The idea that states are able to do this… is like saying, we’re gonna turn civil rights back to the states that each state have a different rule. Look, there’s so many young women who have been, including a young woman who just was murdered, and he went to the funeral, the idea that she was murdered by, by, by an immigrant coming in. They talk about that. But here’s the deal. There’s a lot of young women to be raped by their in-laws by their by their spouses, brothers and sisters. By just it’s just ridiculous, and they can do nothing about it.”
2. He made it again during a discussion on the same topic.
“The idea that the politicians, the founders wanted the politicians to be the ones making decisions about a woman’s health is ridiculous.”
3. He said the two words during a discussion on illegal immigration.
“I’m not saying no terrorists ever got through, but the idea they’re emptying their prisons … That’s simply not true.”
4 + 5. Biden said it again after Trump said he should apologize for lying about him.
“And number two, the idea, the idea that I have to apologize to you for anything …”
And it continued over a dozen more times.
6. “And you’re gonna pull out of NATO. The idea that we have — our strength lies on our alliances as well.”
7. + 8. “The idea that those people are patriots, come on. And I asked him first two debates we had, in debates we had first time around. I said, ‘Will you denounce the Proud Boys?’ He said, ‘No, I’ll tell them to stand by. The idea, he’s refusing — will you denounce these guys?”
9. + 10. “The idea that I did anything wrong relative to what you’re talking about is outrageous. It’s simply a lie. Number one. Number two, the idea that you have a right to seek retribution against any American just because your president is wrong.”
11. “And the idea that somehow that’s the only reason I ran, I ran because I was worried a guy like this guy could get elected.”
12. “And the idea that he’s talking about all this being fabricated. We saw with our own eyes, we saw what happened on January 6th.”
13. “For example, I provided for the idea that any black family first time homebuyer should get a $10,000 tax credit to be able to buy their first home so they can get started.”
14. “We find ourselves in a position where the idea that we’re not doing — I put more, we put more police on the street than any administration has. He wants to cut the cops.”
15. “The idea, that anything he says is true. I passed the most extensive, the most extensive climate change legislation in history in history.”
16. “We’re in a situation where the idea that he is claiming to have done something that had the cleanest water, the cleanest water?”
17. “The idea is that we in fact, we were the only ones of consequence who were not members of the Paris Accord.”
18. “But the idea that he claims that he has the biggest heart up here and is really concerned about, about pollution and about climate– I’ve not seen any indication of that.”
19. “The idea that they’re gonna, I’m not gonna, I’m proposing that everybody they pay…”
20. “The idea that we don’t need to protect our seniors is ridiculous.”
21. “The idea that veterans are not being taken care of, I told you before.”
22. “Number two, the idea that we’re going to be in a situation where all these millions and millions — the way talks about it — illegal aliens are coming into the country and taking away our jobs. There’s a reason why we have the fastest growing economy in the world.”
23. “Number two, the idea that we’re talking about worst presidents. I wasn’t joking.”
24. “The idea that he [inaudible] anything to deal with childcare.
25. “The idea that somehow, we are this failing country. I’ve never heard a president talk like this before.”
26. + 27. “The idea, the idea, I can’t think of a single major leader in the world who wouldn’t trade places with the job I’ve done and what they’ve done. Because we are a powerful nation.”