Joe Biden repeats completely made-up story during speech in latest gaffe
Joe Biden repeats completely made-up story during speech in latest gaffe
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Joe Biden has repeated a seemingly fabricated story during a speech in Delaware, marking the latest gaffe for the floundering president.
The octogenarian attempted to re-share a charming personal story while making a speech at a rail-funding announcement.
Since taking office, Biden has shared the story at least 11 times but analysts have pointed out some major flaws in the tale.
Addressing a group of Amtrak workers, he boasted about his administration's $16.4billion (£13.35billion) investment in passenger rail projects.
WATCH HERE: Biden repeats 'made-up' story in major gaffe
His personal story dates back to a time when he used the Amtrak rail service as a US senator to commute between Washington and his home state of Delaware.
According to Biden, an article was published that claimed he had flown 1.2 million miles on Air Force planes as Vice President.
However, while he was travelling home by train to visit his dying mother, one Amtrak worker named Angelo, told Biden the flying milestone was not a “big deal”.
Angelo reportedly grabbed Biden by his cheek with the words “Joey baby”, as the then-Vice President thought his Secret Service personnel were “going to shoot him”.
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Biden's story was debunked in two major ways
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Biden was told by Angelo that Amtrak workers had done their own calculations and had estimated that the 80-year-old had travelled more miles by train than he had by planes.
The worker has previously been fully identified as conductor Angelo Negri who according to Biden said: “I don’t [want to] hear any more about Air Force stuff”.
However, analysts have debunked the story on multiple occasions using two major factors.
The first, is because the milestone article was not published until September 2015, but Negri reportedly died over a year before in May 2014.
Negri’s stepdaughter Olga Betz, confirmed to CNN that the Amtrak conductor and Biden were friends.
Reuters
And secondly, Biden’s mother had died five years before he received the flying milestone.
Negri’s stepdaughter Olga Betz, confirmed to CNN that the Amtrak conductor and Biden were friends.
According to Betz, Negri “adored” Biden and said he was “very thoughtful and personable with conductors; knew them all by name”.
When asked back in 2021 about whether the story was inaccurate, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said: “I haven’t seen that.
“But the president’s long history with Amtrak and appreciation for the hardworking employees is very well known.”
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