In two interviews released Thursday, Biden, the former vice president, was defiant, insisting that the contours of the tale were accurate. His remarks came in response to a Washington Post article that outlined how in relaying an anecdote about a war hero, Biden appeared to combine details from several different events into one inaccurate composite story.
âI was making the point how courageous these people are, how incredible they are, this generation of warriors, these fallen angels weâve lost,â he told Jonathan Capehart, a Washington Post opinion columnist, in a podcast interview. âAnd so, I donât know what the problem is. I mean, what is it that I said wrong?â
It is the case, the report said, that Biden pinned a medal on a military service member who did not think he deserved it â the âessence of the story,â he told The Post and Courier during a campaign swing through South Carolina, adding that he had not read the article. But in the story of military heroism he told, Biden got many of the associated details wrong, the report said, such as the year, the military branch of the service member involved and the actions taken by the medal recipient, appearing to conflate different acts of bravery.
It is Bidenâs latest verbal stumble in a month full of them, at a time when many Democratic voters have voiced concerns about Bidenâs age and some are worried about his repeated misstatements, inaccurate comments and other unusual remarks.
âIf he keeps getting details wrong, it will absolutely add up over time,â said Mike Lux, a Democratic strategist who was a top Iowa staff member on Bidenâs 1988 presidential campaign, the first of three White House bids.
âThereâs no question about that, especially if you compare him to some of the people that heâs running against,â he added. âElizabeth Warren is not going to get her facts wrong very often. Kamala Harris, the prosecutor, is not going to get her facts wrong very often. Youâve got some very tough opponents who are really smart and are going to nail it every time in terms of the facts and the sequence, and he may look badly compared to people like that.â
Lux and other Democrats who have known Biden for decades emphasize that his verbal blunders â and exaggerations â are nothing new. And they argue that plenty of voters have come to expect them from Biden, who has himself made light of his propensity for gaffes.
But along with a plagiarism scandal, Bidenâs habit of careless speaking played a significant role in dooming his 1988 campaign, a reminder of the risks of his undisciplined style.
Decades later, he enjoys far more goodwill from Democratic voters after having served as vice president, Lux said. âI donât think it has anything to do with his age,â he said. âI just think thatâs him. I donât think thatâs slipping in any sense of the word.â
If elected, Biden, who is 76, would be the oldest president in history at his inauguration, though Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, one of his chief rivals for the Democratic nomination, is older, at 77. President Donald Trump, who has faced questions about his mental fitness, is 73.
âYou can definitely tell his age,â said Bryce Smith, the Democratic chairman in Dallas County, Iowa, when asked about Bidenâs misstatements, even as he also noted that âno one is perfectâ and nodded to the former vice presidentâs âlifetime of service.â
âAs a 27-year-old,â Smith added, âitâs harder for me to relate to how he talks, per se, than it is to relate to someone whoâs half his age running for president. It doesnât mean heâs wrong.â
Bidenâs allies note that despite facing questions about his age and his propensity for gaffes all summer, Biden remains the early Democratic favorite, at least in most polls. Reporting on the ground in Iowa, however, suggests signs of an enthusiasm challenge.
âTime and again, the press fixates on supposed Joe Biden âgaffesâ â and time and again, voters say they donât care,â Andrew Bates, a spokesman for Bidenâs campaign, said.
David Axelrod, who served as former President Barack Obamaâs chief strategist, said the episode of the fumbled war story âreflects both the lack of discipline and the extraordinary empathyâ of Biden.
âIn this story you have the risk and the strength of Biden,â Axelrod said. âThe risk being that he is a gaffe-prone guy, and weâve seen that throughout his career. I donât know whether itâs better or worse now, but itâs a factor, and at his age people are going to pay more attention to each of them. But on the other hand, he projects extraordinary empathy, and that empathy is a huge strength.â
This article originally appeared in
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