Joe Biden made a mistake, yet again, when he confused the date of the Parkland School shooting, saying that the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting that killed 17 people happened more than a century ago in 1918. The President's latest gaffe came during a speech on Monday celebrating the passage of a bipartisan gun bill.
Biden confused the date less than three minutes after he was heckled by gun control advocate Manuel Oliver, whose 17-year-old son was killed in the massacre. Biden never realized his mistake during the entire event and no one even tried to correct him but social media users quickly took note of it and trolled the President once again.
Biden Does It Again
Biden, who will turn 80 on November 20, once again got confused while speaking. "Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida — 1918, 17 dead, 17 injured," said Biden, the oldest ever US president said on the White House lawns as he welcomed the passage of a gun control measure that, among other changes, will strengthen background checks for young people interested in purchasing firearms.
Although nothing new, Biden's latest gaffe once again raises questions about his mental ability to remember things. The infamous Parkland school shooting happened in 2018.
Biden made the mistake just about three minutes after being heckled by gun control activist Manuel Oliver, whose 17-year-old son Joaquin was killed in the Parkland shooting. Oliver urged Biden to establish an internal office for gun control.
Although Oliver's remarks at the event are unclear, he previously criticized the event on Twitter, writing, "The word CELEBRATION has no space in a society that saw 19 kids massacred just a month ago. 'Most people overestimate what they can do in one year and underestimate what they can do in ten years.' Not me, not Joaquin."
However, things didn't go down well with Biden after Oliver interrupted his speech. "Sit down, you'll hear what I have to say," Biden told Oliver, adding "let me finish my comment" as the father continued to speak.
Oliver was later seen on video being led away from the White House's South Lawn where the celebration was taking place.
A few minutes later, Biden made the mistake of saying that it happened in 1918.
Repeated Mistakes
This isn't anything new from Biden. He frequently makes mistakes, tells untrue stories, or pronounces words incorrectly. He has explained some of the mistakes as being caused by a childhood stammer, but the errors frequently prompt Republicans, especially, to question his suitability for the government.
Most recently, Biden read a teleprompter reminding him to repeat what he just said. The president said: "Repeat the line."
That prompted the world's wealthiest man, Elon Musk, to tweet: "Whoever controls the teleprompter is the real president."
Also, in June, Biden struggled to read "LGBTQI+" from a teleprompter, saying instead, "LGBTQL, I, excuse me, plus."
In May, he struggled to say AANHPI — a term for people of Asian or Pacific Islander ancestry that includes Native Hawaiians — and instead said, "AAN- — NH — PI — aye, aye, aye, aye, aye."
There have been reports that even Biden staff members have expressed concern over their boss's advanced age. According to aides quoted in a New York Times article published on Sunday, Biden has lost energy and now shuffles as he walks, raising concerns that he could fall over wires.
Biden has referred to his vice president, Kamala Harris, as "President Harris" at least four occasions. Also, last month, he lost control of his bike while riding close to his Delaware beach house, and after the accident, he hopped around to show he wasn't hurt.
Staff members reportedly shuddered at the attention the bike fall tale garnered, and several argued the president is still intelligent and inquisitive, according to The Times.
The gaffes have been continuing ever since Biden became the President. In September last year, Biden said that he remembered "spending time at" and "going to" the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh after the murder of 11 people in 2018.
The synagogue said he never visited and the White House later said he was thinking about a 2019 phone call to the synagogue's rabbi.
Also in September, Biden revealed to a crowd in Idaho that the Boise Cascade lumber and wood products company had made him a "first job offer." The business claimed to be unaware of it and that Biden had never previously expressed interest in relocating there.
Although there is no proof, Biden claimed in January that he was detained during civil rights rallies while speaking to students at historically black institutions in Atlanta.
As more Democrats question whether he should run for reelection, Biden's critics frequently charge that he is mentally deteriorating.
According to a New York Times poll issued on Monday, Biden has a 33 percent popularity rating, and 64% of Democrats would rather see a different candidate win the presidency in 2024.
