President Joe Biden said Donald Trump deserved to be punched on Wednesday — all the while losing his own fight to the teleprompter in front of him.
The Democrat was campaigning with a speech at the North America’s Building Trades Unions conference in Washington, DC.
“Imagine what we could do next. Four more years. Pause,” he said, apparently reading out his speechwriter’s instruction to pause for dramatic effect.
The crowd did their best to drown out the awkwardness by chanting “four more years,” while Biden stood there and flashed a gleaming smile.
The incident is reminiscent of another gaffe from October when the 81-year-old read out an instruction to “make it clear” as questions about his age and mental fitness continue to plague his campaign.
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In his speech on Wednesday, Biden hinted at wanting to get physical with Trump.
“Think about the guys you grew up with who you would like to get into the corner and just give them a straight left,” he said. “I’m not suggesting we hit the president. But we all knew guys like that growing up.”
He also added in a jab about his physical appearance.
“By the way, remember when he was trying to deal with COVID and he said just inject a little bleach in your veins?” the president asked “He missed – it all went to his hair.”
The Democratic nominee seemed to immediately regret his words.
“I shouldn’t have said that,” he admitted.
Biden is no stranger to teleprompter gaffes.
He made a similar mistake in a speech in July 2022, days after the Supreme Court overturned the national right to an abortion bestowed by Roe v. Wade.
He quoted a line from the court’s majority opinion before adding, “Repeat the line.” The direction was probably meant just for him.
Recent polls from YouGov and Quinnipiac University show Trump and Biden tied in November, though that may change depending on the outcome of Trump’s criminal trials, one of which is currently underway in New York.
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