Quick Hit:

In a recent address to the NAACP, President Biden's remarks were filled with gaffes, leading the White House to issue nine corrections to the official transcript.

Key Details:

• Gaffe Highlights: Biden mistakenly referred to his vice presidency during the COVID-19 pandemic and made several misstatements, including confusing "pandemic" with "recession."
• Transcript Corrections: The corrected transcript tried to clarify Biden's words, such as changing "NAAC" to "NAACP" and correcting figures like "$800,000 per year" savings under the ACA to a more plausible number.
• Recent Trend: This incident continues a pattern of public speaking errors by Biden, noted more frequently as he ramps up public appearances.

Diving Deeper:

During a speech to the NAACP in Michigan, President Joe Biden made multiple verbal slips, prompting the White House to correct the official transcript of the event nine times. Among the most notable mistakes, Biden said he was vice president during the COVID-19 pandemic, a significant chronological error since his vice presidency ended in January 2017, nearly three years before the pandemic began.

The White House corrections clarified that Biden meant the "recession" when referring to his time as vice president under Barack Obama, specifically the Great Recession which was a critical issue during the early years of his vice presidency. Other corrections included gross exaggerations like families saving "$800,000 per year" from the Affordable Care Act, and misstatements about his actions against corporate landlords and his mispronunciation of "inspiring" and "insurrectionists."

These slip-ups have become a focal point of criticism as Biden has increased his public engagements, highlighted by several awkward moments captured during speeches. Just a week earlier, Biden was noted for other public gaffes, including reading script directions aloud from a teleprompter at a campaign event.

Despite these blunders, the White House has emphasized the substantive intentions behind Biden's words. Acting Deputy Press Secretary Sam Michel highlighted the administration's focus on reducing prescription drug costs, investing in Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), and protecting Medicare and Social Security as the core messages of Biden's speech. "We’re focused on the substance of the transcript and the heart of President Biden’s speech: how he is fighting for Americans by lowering the cost of prescription drugs, making transformational investments in HBCUs, and protecting Medicare and Social Security."