During his speech to the NAACP in Michigan, Biden made several confusing remarks and misstatements. Notably, he suggested that he was vice president during the COVID-19 pandemic, which started nearly four years after he left office. “When I was vice president, things were kind of bad during the pandemic,” Biden said. “And, what happened was Barack [Obama] said to me: ‘Go to Detroit — help fix it.’” The following day, the White House clarified that Biden meant to refer to the Great Recession, stating, “And when I was vice president, things were kind of bad during the pandemic [recession], and what happened was Barack said to me, ‘Go to Detroit and help fix it.’”
Other corrections addressed Biden’s claims that families saved $800,000 annually from the Affordable Care Act, his fight against corporate landlords who “keep rents down,” and his misnaming of the NAACP as “the NAAC.” Additionally, Biden mispronounced “inspiring” and “insurrectionists,” saying “inspiresing” and “irrectionists,” which were corrected in the transcript.
Acting Deputy Press Secretary Sam Michel commented, “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.”
Biden’s gaffes have become more noticeable as he increases his campaign events. In one week in April, he made at least four embarrassing or controversial comments, including appearing to repeat teleprompter instructions, saying, “Imagine what we could do next. Four more years, pause,” before laughing as the audience began chanting, “Four more years.” Audience members laughed at his mistake, but Biden continued without acknowledging it.