Joe Biden confuses Theresa May with Margaret Thatcher, calls Trump a 'clown' at fundraiser
Former Vice President Joe Biden had an apparent "Freudian slip" at a fundraiser Saturday night in Columbia, S.C., when he flubbed the name of British Prime Minister Theresa May and called her Margaret Thatcher instead.
While it is common knowledge that the former prime minister left office in 1990 and died in 2013, Biden's mistake has once again fueled concerns about his age. His aides defended him from reporters after he slurred his words during his campaign announcement speech. And although he is currently leading primary polls by wide margins, the Democratic establishment is yet to throw their total support behind him, the Washington Examiner reports.
“Margaret Thatcher, um, excuse me, Margaret Thatcher — Freudian slip,” Biden said, according to a campaign pool report. “But I knew her too.” He then corrected himself by saying: “The Prime Minister of Great Britain Theresa May.”
Thatcher became the first female British prime minister as leader of the Conservative Party and was in office during the 1988 U.S. elections. At the time, Biden ran for president but backed out in late 1987 after backlash for plagiarizing the speech of U.K. Labour Party leader Neil Kinnock, who was a fierce critic of Thatcher.
Biden was telling his donors how he had heard from 14 heads of state from around the world who expressed their unease to him about President Trump. It was then that he included Thatcher in the list, before correcting himself and saying he was referring to May.
When asked if he had a nickname for Trump, he said, “There are so many nicknames that I’m inclined to give this guy. We could just start with clown. When he says these ridiculous things he says, I mean this, I put my hand up and say, ‘Everybody knows who you are,’ because they do know.”
The 2020 Democratic frontrunner said he didn't want to enter in a mudwrestling bout with Trump. “The only place he [Trump] has any confidence is in the mud. The only thing he doesn’t know how to respond to is issues and specifics.”
He also referred to Trump as a "no-good SOB" at one point during the speech.
Addressing concerns about his age, Biden told a South Carolina station it was fair to ask about it. "All I say is watch me. Determine whether I have the energy or not to do it," he said. "But I have significant experience. I have learned a great deal. I have learned from the past.”
Thatcher entered the British Parliament in 1959 and was chosen to lead the conservative wing in 1975. On May 4, 1979, she was first elected to Downing Street, before winning reelection in 1983 and 1987. She was later ousted by her own party after 11 years in office.