Last Updated on May 24, 2021
President Joe Biden had some difficulty getting his thoughts across during a meeting about hurricanes at the Federal Emergency Management Agency on Monday, stumbling his way through pre-prepared remarks even after repeatedly consulting his notes.
“It’s not about red states and blue states, y’all know that, it’s about having people’s backs and the toughest moments that they face,” Biden said. “Ready with food, water, blankets, shelters, and more.” The monologue quickly deteriorated from there.
“But uh, there’s uh, you know there to be you know beginning uh, this effort uh for 2021 is uh, I think we’ve learned a few lessons from last year as well,” Biden stated. “There’s help as through the we there you know through being there to help clear roads, rebuild uh main streets, uh and so that the families can get back to their lives uh, that’s what FEMA does every single day. And as my mother would say, they’re doin’ God’s work.”
"We don't have a moment to lose in preparing for 2021."
Pres. Biden speaks at briefing on the Atlantic Hurricane Outlook and preparedness efforts at FEMA headquarters. https://t.co/gW0jqlZ9Zv pic.twitter.com/sdrytVbale
— ABC News (@ABC) May 24, 2021
The incident marks Biden’s second struggle with getting his point across verbally in the last two weeks. During a signing of a COVID anti-Asian hate crime bill on May 20, Biden told the audience to gaze into mirrors and the eyes of young children to stop bigotry:
U.S. President Joe Biden made a bizarre appeal to the American people during a signing ceremony for Democrats’ anti-Asian hate crime COVID bill on Wednesday, declaring that viewers should “look around,” “Look in the mirror,” and “Look in the eyes of your children” to fight the bigotry and hatred onstensibly addressed in the bill.
“But of all the good the law can do, we have to change our hearts, we have to change the hearts of the American people, hate can, I mean this from the bottom of my heart, hate can be given no safe harbor in America,” Biden said. “I mean it, no safe harbor. It can’t be dismissed, like ‘well, that’s just what happens.’”
Biden continued, “My message is to all of those who think this doesn’t matter to them, or this is not a problem, look around. Look in the mirror. Look in the eyes of your children. Every one of us are lessened. Every one of us are lessened, and we’re all hurt by this hate.”
