The Florida mayor who Joe Biden uttered a profanity caught on a live microphone, sparking a small viral commotion, said the presidential swear word didn’t bother him in the least.
The two men met on Wednesday as Biden toured areas of Florida affected by Hurricane Ian. The president was heard saying, “Nobody fucks with a Biden.”
The incident sparked a small media storm. The White House had no comment.
Ray Murphy, the mayor of Fort Myers Beach, told NBC: “It wasn’t directed at anyone. It was just two guys talking. It didn’t faze me at all. It’s just the way two guys talk to each other about our respective origins.
Murphy told NBC that he and the president quickly discovered they had a lot in common.
“We are both Irish Catholics,” he said. “We are both devout Catholics. But every time [in] a moment some salty language comes out.
Biden has had contact with hot mics and salty language before. Most famously, in 2010, he hosted the Affordable Care Act signing ceremony, telling his then-boss, Barack Obama, “This is a fucking big deal.”
Biden later told NPR, “Thank God my mom wasn’t there to hear.”
In January of this year, Biden seemed to think his microphone was off when he called Fox News reporter Peter Doocy “a stupid son of a bitch” for asking a question about inflation. The president apologized for the remark.
Two weeks ago, a swear word uttered after a conversation with Biden made headlines.
As Yoon Suk-yeol left a conversation with Biden at the United Nations general assembly in New York, the South Korean president was surprised by a “hot” microphone saying, “How could Biden not lose face if these motherfuckers don’t get it through Congress?”
He was referring to an attempt to increase the US contribution to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.
From Florida, speaking to NBC, Murphy suggested that if no one is playing with a Biden, maybe fate has decided to play with him a little.
“Barely have I been elected and Covid has broken out [out],” he said. “And if Covid wasn’t enough, now a hurricane to boot. As the Irish would say, if we weren’t unlucky, we wouldn’t be lucky.
