Biden mistakenly calls Harris ‘boss’ during gun control event

President Biden mistakenly called Vice President Kamala Harris his “boss” on Thursday and incorrectly referred to Ohio Senator JD Vance as a “secretary” during an event where he signed executive orders for new gun control task forces. The 81-year-old president made these remarks while addressing a roomful of guests at the White House, stating he had attended all but three mass shootings in the country, and criticised the Republican vice presidential candidate with claims debunked by fact-checkers.

Biden criticised Vance, 40, for purportedly dismissing mass shootings as a fact of life in America. However, Vance had actually conveyed the opposite sentiment. In a September 5 interview with CNN, Vance emphasised the need for increased school security to prevent shootings from becoming commonplace. He stated, “I don’t like to admit this. I don’t like that this is a fact of life. But if you’re a psycho and you want to make headlines, you realise that our schools are soft targets, and we have to bolster security at our schools so that a person who walks through the front door … they’re not able to.”

Biden’s executive orders establish new panels to explore the implementation of active-shooter drills in schools and potential regulations for 3-D printed guns and equipment that can convert semiautomatic weapons into machine guns. Handing Harris a pen used to sign the documents, Biden remarked, “Keep it going, boss.”

Joe Biden: “If we want to talk about reducing crime in America, you need to talk about guns in America.” pic.twitter.com/CtyCezQhsf

Related Articles

• 
  Jack Smith files brief on Trump’s 2020 election interference

  36 mins ago
• 
  Alan Eugene Miller executed with nitrogen gas in Alabama

  2 hours ago

— Conservative War Machine (@WarMachineRR) September 26, 2024

Biden has previously referred to Harris as the “president” on at least seven occasions, leading to fresh mockery and criticism on social media. This came just a day after he greeted world leaders in New York City with the wrong salutation, “welcome to Washington.” Although the new gun-control orders do not impose new restrictions, one order creates a task force to make recommendations on addressing emerging firearm threats.

As the oldest sitting president in U.S. history, Biden ended his bid for a second term on July 21 following pressure from fellow Democrats concerned about his mental fitness. He has rejected bipartisan calls to resign before the end of his term on January 20.

Harris, who assumed the top spot on the Democratic ticket after Biden’s campaign ended, praised him at the event as “our extraordinary president.” The vice president has positioned herself as a pragmatic advocate of gun control ahead of the November 5 election, portraying herself in recent appearances as a gun-owner ready to defend her home. However, she has not provided details on her firearm ownership, leading to Republican scepticism about the veracity of her claims.