President Biden again falsely claimed that his son Beau Biden died in Iraq, confusing key details of his son’s death just weeks after making the same mistake during remarks in Colorado.
Mr. Biden stumbled into the claim while delivering a speech Tuesday in Florida. First, he confused the war in Ukraine with the war in Iraq blaming the current war for high inflation.
“Inflation is a worldwide problem right now because of the war in Iraq and the impact on oil and what Russia is doing, excuse me the war in Ukraine,” Mr. Biden said. “I’m thinking of Iraq because that’s where my son died.”
The mental stumble underscored Democrats’ concerns about the ability of Mr. Biden, 79, to top the party’s ticket in 2024.
Beau Biden, who served in the Delaware Army National Guard and was awarded a Bronze Star for his service in Iraq from 2008 to 2009, died of cancer in 2015.
He was posthumously awarded the Delaware Conspicuous Service Cross.
Mr. Biden made a similar misstatement in Colorado when signing a decree to designate a former training site for the Army’s 10th Mountain division as a national monument.
“I say this as a father of a man who won the Bronze Star, the conspicuous service medal, and lost his life in Iraq. Imagine the courage, the daring, and the genuine sacrifice — genuine sacrifice they all made,” he said praising the storied Army unit’s heroism during World War II.
Mr. Biden has said he believes his son’s cancer was caused by exposure to burn pits in Iraq, though the link is unproven.
• Joseph Clark can be reached at jclark@washingtontimes.com.
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