Joe Biden has said and done many, many remarkably stupid things during his decades-long political career. But it seems that during his time as president in particular he has sought to one-up himself in the “Did he actually say that?” department every time he appears in public for a speaking engagement.
The latest example comes courtesy of a conference held Wednesday at the White House on hunger, nutrition, and health.
During the event, Biden was giving a speech, and apparently, his notes told him to make sure to honor former Rep. Jackie Walorski (R-Ind.), who was the co-chair of the House Hunger Caucus.
The problem, however, came, when Biden asked “Jackie, are you here? Where’s Jackie?” and looked around for the Congresswoman, who unfortunately was not in attendance because she along with two Congressional aides tragically passed away in August after a car accident in Indiana:
Politico reporter Meredith Lee Hill was covering the event and wrote about what happened after reporting that the White House was going to play a video honoring Walorski. Hill gave Biden the benefit of the doubt, suggesting that perhaps he said what he did “without realizing she passed away in August.”
Except a statement posted to the White House website after Walorski’s passing indicated that Biden (and First Lady Jill) was indeed aware that she’d died.
Later, Hill noted that Biden White House advisor Susan Rice played clean-up in her remarks:
“Susan Rice a few minutes later thanking lawmakers during a panel says the group ‘of course’ misses the late Rep. Jackie Walorski ‘who passed away in August.'”
This is, of course, not the first time Biden has made wildly insensitive remarks about politicians he was attempting to give shout-outs to.
In one infamous clip, then-Senator Biden, who by that point was also Barack Obama’s vice presidential running mate, urged a Democrat member of the Missouri state state senate to “stand up,” apparently either forgetting or not realizing that he was in a wheelchair.
“I’m told Chuck Graham, state senator, is here. Stand up Chuck, let ’em see you. Oh, God love you. What am I talking about. I’ll tell you what, you’re making everybody else stand up, though, pal.”
Watch:
And then there is this:
I think we have our answer.