President Joe Biden mistakenly asked on Wednesday whether the late Rep. Jackie Walorski, who died in a car crash last month, was at a White House event she helped organize.
Biden made the gaffe while delivering remarks at the White House Conference on Food, Nutrition, and Health, where he publicly acknowledged elected officials like Walorski, R-Ind., who helped organize the rally.
At one point, Biden asked, “Jackie, are you there? Where is Jackie? as he watched and scanned the audience. He did not correct his remarks.
Walorski, a five-term lawmaker, died in a car accident along with two of her aides on August 3. She was 58 years old. She had served as co-chair of the House Hunger Caucus and she was one of four members of Congress. who introduced the bipartisan bill that called the White House conference on Wednesday.
Hours after his death, Biden released a statement saying he “appreciated his partnership as we anticipate a historic White House conference on hunger, nutrition and health this fall that will be marked by his deep concern for the needs of rural America”.
Biden, 79, is no stranger to gaffes and script errors, both before becoming president and since taking office.
When asked why Biden made the remark about Walorski and whether he was confused, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters during Wednesday’s briefing that he had mentioned Walorski because she was “in the lead,” adding that Biden intended to see Walorski’s family “in just two days.”
“He thought of her as she was — as he named and called the champions of Congress on this issue — on this really critical issue that is going to help millions of Americans,” Jean-Pierre said.
In a series of tense exchanges, reporters repeatedly asked him to clarify why Biden made the comment, but Jean-Pierre did not say Biden misspoke or forgot that Walorski was deceased.
“The confusing part is why, if she and the family are at the top of the list, does the president think she lives and is in the room?” asked a reporter.
“I don’t find it confusing,” replied Jean-Pierre. “I mean, I think a lot of people can talk sometimes when you have someone on their minds, they’re on their minds.”
