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Biden Jokingly Called Military Personnel "Stupid Bastards"

Christopher Frawley Christopher Frawley
Politics
16th October 2020
Biden Jokingly Called Military Personnel "Stupid Bastards"
The comment appears to have been made as a joke (Getty Images).

The Claim

Democratic Presidential nominee Joe Biden called members of the U.S. Armed Forces “stupid bastards.”

Emerging story

Many social media recently shared a clip of former Vice President Joe Biden speaking to a gathering of military personnel. This clip was picked out of this speech from 2016, during the Obama Administration.

Biden made a statement complimenting his own judgement in his choice of wife, and his promotion of an air force officer (Lieutenant Johnson), before saying: “Clap for that you stupid bastards, come on now. Man you all are a dull bunch, must be slow here man.”

Some on social media and on conservative news-outlets have used this clip as a counter to criticisms levied against President Trump for allegedly calling wounded soldiers “losers.”

Misbar’s Analysis

The Vice President seems to have been making a joke in the manner of gruff military tradition, but its reception was mixed both then and now. Some officers in the background can be seen grinning, while others are stone-faced. The video is below.

Likewise, some have pointed out that Biden was just joking, and others have countered that the joke was not funny to begin with.

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Joe Biden himself has never served in the military, but both his sons (Hunter Biden and the late Beau Biden) have served.

Misbar’s Classification

True

Misbar’s Sources

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