President Biden, prone to gaffes, drew flak from his entourage Saturday when he spoke of the “selfishness” of American troops on the final day of his trip to the Middle East.
“This is the first time since 9/11 that an American president has visited this region without American troops engaged in combat — in a combat mission in the region,” Biden said during a speech to Gulf Cooperation Council leaders in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
“We will always honor the bravery and the selflessness — the selflessness of — and the sacrifices of Americans who have served, including my son, Major Beau Biden, who was deployed to Iraq for a year,” he said.
Secretary of State Anthony Blinken blinked hard and shifted uncomfortably in his seat as his boss made the unfortunate verbal stumble that the White House later noted in its official transcript.
Joe Biden referred to the “selfishness” of US troops in his latest blunder abroad. BANDAR ALJALOUD HANDOUT/EPA-EFE/ Biden mentioned that he was the first US president to visit the Middle East since 9/11 without US troops engaged in combat. Getty Images Biden’s blunder is the latest in a string of speech gaffes. Getty Images
The awkward comment came two days after Biden shocked listeners in Israel by speaking about the “honor of the Holocaust” during an official visit.
He corrected himself on that occasion as well, quickly saying “the horror of the Holocaust” as the line was written.
It was the latest in a long list of gaffes and misstatements by the 79-year-old president, who in recent days has mistakenly referred to the “1918” mass shooting at Parkland High School and invoked obvious stage direction — “repeat a line” — in teleprompter gaffe straight out of Will Ferrell’s comedy classic The Host.
Add Comment