Users on social media say presidential candidate Joe Biden called service members “stupid bastards” to insult or disrespect his audience. While the quote is authentic, Biden’s remark is missing context: footage of the event shows then-Vice President Biden was asking the troops to clap in a joking, not insulting, manner. Throughout his speech Biden praised the service of the U.S. military.
Posts with this claim shared thousands of times are visible on Facebook here , here and on Twitter here
Some comments on the posts read: “pretty darn sad, especially, when these are the men and women who protect his butt, which he doesn’t deserve. What a disgrace” and “Wow not only is he insulting the very men and women who keep us safe (…) but he in effect also insulted his own son who himself was a service member.”
Users refer to a remark Biden made while giving a speech to U.S. Military personnel on March 7, 2016 at a military base in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates ( here ) . Full footage of the event is visible youtu.be/2FUcxqGObZc .
The moment referenced in the claim is visible here bit.ly/2EM4FnE .
"I have incredibly good judgment. One, I married Jill. And two, I appointed Johnson to the academy,” he said referring to Delaware lieutenant Carrie Johnson who had introduced him to stage moments before ( bit.ly/2GsCdHK ). Then he said “I just want you to know that. Clap for that, you stupid bastards.” After the applause, Biden said to the audience “Man, you are a dull bunch. Must be slow here, man. I don't know.”
While the audience’s reaction is not visible in the videos, footage shows the servicewoman and men standing behind Biden, as well as his wife Jill Biden, smiling throughout his remarks.
Seconds before asking the audience to clap, Biden recognized and expressed admiration for their sacrifice ( bit.ly/2SdPEhK ), saying, “Folks back home can’t see you,” and adding that they “don’t understand, they appreciate, but they don’t fully understand the incredible sacrifices you make for our country.”
Throughout his speech Biden thanked them for their service and described them as “part of the greatest generation of warriors the world has ever seen.”
Andrew Bates, a spokesperson for the Joe Biden campaign, told Reuters via email that “Vice President Biden was jokingly encouraging the audience to clap for an airwoman on the stage, and a number of service members can be seen laughing and smiling at the comment.”
Bates also pointed out to comments from conservative public figures who have also debunked the claim, including Dinesh D’Souza ( here ) and Jim Swift, former Weekly Standard editor and George W. Bush campaign staffer ( here ).
President Donald Trump tried to echo this claim at the end of the first presidential debate on Sept. 29 ( bit.ly/2GgmVGp ).
The claim comes nearly a month after The Atlantic reported that Trump had referred to Marines buried in an American cemetery near Paris as “losers” and declined to visit in 2018 because of concern the rain that day would mess up his hair ( here ). President Trump has repeatedly denied the report and called it “disinformation.” ( here )
VERDICT
Missing context. Joe Biden saying “Clap for that, you stupid bastards” was intended as a joke. Biden recognized and praised the troops’ service throughout this 2016 speech.
This article was produced by the Reuters Fact Check team. Read more about our fact-checking work here.
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October 01, 2020 at 01:11AM
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Fact check: Biden’s 2016 ‘stupid bastards’ remark to U.S. Military intended as joke - Reuters
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