President Joe Biden’s appearance before the nation’s governors at a black tie event on Sunday was an unmitigated disaster from start to finish.
At the National Governors Association Winter Meeting, Biden humiliated himself — and by extension, the office the presidency — by constantly botching historical quotes and being unable to correctly identify some of the most powerful world leaders.
One of the most embarrassing moments came when the hyper-partisan Biden complained about “bitter” politics and then invoked Lincoln’s “better angels of our nature” quote.
POTUS: “I wanna make sure I get the quote exactly right, ‘He said, slekjnrvzldkfljknvsjsfnsnbs;krmvsioera.’ pic.twitter.com/kwhoxDU7Uk
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) February 25, 2024
As Biden told it: “And, you know, standing here in front of this portrait of the man behind me here, he — he said — and I want to make sure I get the quote exactly right. He said, ‘The better angels –‘ he said, ‘We must address counsel — and adjust the better angels of our nature.’ And we do the — and we do well to remember what else he said. He said, ‘We’re not enemies, but we’re friends.” This is in the middle of — this is in the — in the part of the Civil War. He said, ‘We’re not enemies, but we’re friends. We must not be enemies’.”
Let’s compare the actual Lincoln quote:
I am loath to close. We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic chords of memory, stretching from every battle-field, and patriot grave, to every living heart and hearthstone, all over this broad land, will yet swell the chorus of the Union, when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature.
But Joe was just getting warmed up. The president mixed up the Chinese leader Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin (he then corrects himself) before spinning a yarn about traveling 17,000 miles with the Chinese dictator.
Also: Did Joe Biden forget that he was vice president under President Barack Obama? You make the call.
Biden again claims he “traveled 17,000 miles” with China’s Xi Jinping, who he calls the “head of Russia.”
“This has been documented and it’s real!”
(It isn’t — the story has been repeatedly debunked) pic.twitter.com/jZs07iC4hv
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) February 25, 2024
“I’ve spent a lot of time with Xi Jinping — someone whom I have a great deal of difference with,” he boasted. “And I was — when I was vice president, President — my — my president was — told me that he wanted me to get to know Xi Jinping because it was clear he was going to be the head of Russia — of — of China and that he — we had a — we were having problems with Russia at the time and other countries as well. And so, what he said was, ‘Get to know him. He’s going to be there.” I — and he couldn’t because he was the president, and he couldn’t travel. So, I traveled 17,000 miles with him throughout the country — our country and — and in — in China, as well’.”
The Washington Post, however, has debunked this tall tale and has even given him three Pinocchios for it.
Joe Biden then wrapped up his remarks and asked his handlers: “I’m right here?”
Biden wraps up his remarks and immediately gets confused as he asks his handlers: “I’m right here?” pic.twitter.com/PMFCVHH2yr
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) February 25, 2024
While Biden looks around the room aimlessly, the audience turns away from him and completely ignores him as they commence with their dinner.
It’s a sad but fitting scene for a president that Americans have entirely tuned out.
