January 1, Biden Raises Eyebrows with Latest Gaffe-Riddled Speech

ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY…
1968: Apollo 8 – 1st manned Moon voyage launched with Frank Borman, Jim Lovell, and William Anders.

President Joe Biden raised eyebrows with several gaffes and faux pas during a recent speech — including a wisecrack about Irish people that caused a stir.

The president was speaking for a crowd of U.S. veterans at a town hall event in New Castle, Delaware. Biden thanked Ray Firmani, a 102-year-old veteran who flew 25 missions in World War II, for his service and attendance.

“Ray, thanks for being here, pal. You’re the best,” Biden said.

“Thank you so much,” Firmani responded.

“Thank you.  I may be Irish, but I’m not stupid,” Biden said with a laugh. “I married Dominic Giacoppa’s daughter.  So, you know, I got a little Italian in me now, you know?”

However, the president apparently confused his wife’s father, Donald Jacobs, with her grandfather.

A video clip of the remark sparked backlash on Twitter, with some pointing out that Biden’s made the crack before.

Washington Examiner investigative reporter Jerry Dunleavy tweeted: “Biden loves this Bidenism (he’s said it in the past before) — just casual old school anti-Irish stereotyping, but he thinks it’s a fun part of his gift of the gab because he considers himself Irish (his great-great-great grandfather moved to America from Ireland in the 1800s.)”

Businessman Eoghan McCabe wrote: “Irishman here. I feel neutral because I think he actually is stupid.”

Biden also claimed that his uncle won the Purple Heart award for his actions during the Battle of the Bulge in World War II — but the story doesn’t add up.

“My dad, when I got elected vice president [in 2008], he said, ‘Joey, Uncle Frank fought in the Battle of the Bulge.’ He was not feeling very well now — not because of the Battle of the Bulge. But he said, ‘And he won the Purple Heart. And he never received it. He never got it. Do you think you could help him get it? We will surprise him,’” Biden said.

Biden went on and described presenting the prestigious Purple Heart award to his uncle.

But fact-checkers found several problems with Biden’s anecdote. Biden’s father, Joseph R. Biden Sr., died in 2002. Frank Biden, the president’s uncle, died in 1999.

The New York Post noted: “Frank Biden’s tombstone does not identify him as a Purple Heart honoree, nor does his obituary. A partial registry of known Purple Heart recipients also doesn’t note anyone by that name receiving the award, though that database is not comprehensive.”

Similarly, Forbes reported: “There doesn’t appear to be any record of Biden giving his uncle the honor—the president hasn’t mentioned the story in the past, there have been no news articles written about it and Frank Biden’s name does not appear on a list of recipients held by the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor, though the list is incomplete.”

Biden also exaggerated his number of trips to the Middle East, saying that he’s visited Afghanistan and Iraq “38, 39 times as — not as President, only twice as President, but from the time I was a senator, but particularly when I was Vice President.”

This wasn’t the first time that Biden inflated the number of times he’s visited the Middle East. During his first State of the Union address, he claimed to have visited “over 40 times.” According to Politifact, the number is actually closer to 21 times.

Sources: The Blaze | Fox News | New York Post | CNN | The White House