In yet another verbal stumble, the outgoing US President Joe Biden referred to vice president Kamala Harris as “boss” while unwittingly calling Ohio senator JD Vance as “secretary.” The slip up by the president came at an event where he signed executive orders creating new gun control task forces.
“I’m going to be very blunt, secretary Vance of Ohio has called these shootings facts of life.Who the hell do these people think they are?” the president said referring to a comment by Vance earlier this month.
While speaking at the event, Biden said, “I’ve been to all but three mass shootings in the United States of America,” before hitting out at Trump’s running mate.
Earlier this month, senator JD Vance suggested that increasing security at schools could help prevent such events. “What is going to solve this problem?” Vance questioned. “I don’t like to admit this. I don’t like that this is a fact of life,” he added. “But if you’re a psycho and you want to make headlines, you realize that our schools are soft targets, and we have got to bolster security at our schools so that a person who walks through the front door … they’re not able to.”
Biden signed executive orders to form new committees aimed at improving active-shooter drills in schools and to explore regulations on 3-D printed firearms and devices that convert semiautomatic weapons into fully automatic ones.
“Keep it going, boss,” Biden told vice president Kamala Harris, handing her the pen used to sign the orders.
This gaffe by President Biden is one among several during his presidency, marking his second significant misstatement in a week. Just a day earlier, he erroneously welcomed world leaders to Washington while delivering a speech in Midtown Manhattan.
“Thank you, thank you, thank you. Welcome to Washington,” Biden said, seemingly unaware of the error as he continued his remarks without pause.
At 81 years old, President Joe Biden has frequently stumbled in his public speeches and statements this year, with at least 118 instances of verbal lapses. These regular gaffes have required White House staff to amend official transcripts, aligning the president’s remarks with current public policies or revising them to correct his intended message.
In certain situations, Biden has inaccurately referred to foreign leaders from countries like France, Egypt, and Mexico, along with misnaming various individuals, locations, or organizations on at least 20 occasions during his addresses.