The White House was forced to mop up a mess left by President Joe Biden after he made another embarrassing gaffe when a reporter asked him about the rescission of the Title 42 border policy.
Biden appeared to mistake the issue of Title 42 on Thursday with that of the judge’s order that ended the public transit mask mandate.
“Are you considering delaying lifting Title 42?” asked the reporter.
“No. What I’m considering is continuing to hear from my – first of all, there’s going to be an appeal by the Justice Department,” Biden responded.
“Because as a matter of principal we want to be in a position where if in fact it is strongly concluded by the scientists that we need Title 42, that we be able to do that,” he added. “But there has been no decision on extending Title 42.”
Video of Biden’s gaffe went viral on social media among his critics and detractors.
“When asked about Title 42, President Biden gave an incoherent answer about mask mandates,” tweeted Republican Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas.
“For the good of the country, he needs to stop speaking extemporaneously in public,” he added.
Later on in the day, the White House released a statement in Biden’s voice offering a clarification on his confused comments.
“I want to clarify that, in comments at the conclusion of my remarks this morning, I was referring to the CDC’s mask mandate and there is no Department of Justice action on Title 42,” Biden said in the statement.
The White House has often issued clarifications to mistakes Biden makes in public comments, but it is rare that they issue a personal statement from the president to clarify them.
The gaffe is the latest in numerous examples where Biden has made confusing comments. Critics have cited these videos to bolster the campaign to force Biden out of office based on provisions in Amendment 25 on presidents who are unable to fulfill the duties of the presidency.