Biden concludes speech with 'God Save the Queen'
President Biden causes confusion with 'bizarre' closing remarks at a Connecticut summit on gun control reform.
President Biden caused an uproar of confusion Friday after closing his remarks at a Connecticut summit on gun control reform with a phrase more closely identified with the country that his previously declared its independence from.
As he closed his speech at the National Safer Communities Summit in West Hartford, Biden told the crowd a storm might be approaching the area and that he would be unable to shake hands with all attendees.
He also uttered another iconic line once used toward a student who questioned him about his fourth-place standing in the 2020 Iowa caucuses:
"Is that the truth? Now, do not make a lie – as that scene in the John Wayne movie – don't make me a dog-faced, lying, pony-soldier," Biden said, this time about the reported incoming storm.
President Joe Biden eats ice cream at Moomers Homemade Ice Cream in Traverse City, Michigan on July 3, 2021. (MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)
"I will stand in front of each section – no, I really mean it -- if you can see the camera they can see you. It is the least consequential part of this whole meeting for you, I promise," he said.
To the confusion of observers, he concluded, "All right. God Save the Queen, man," before looking around to figure out where to walk offstage.
The current monarch of the United Kingdom is King Charles III, as his mother, the long-serving Queen Elizabeth II, died in September.
Connecticut, where Biden was speaking, was one of the 13 colonies to declare its independence from Britain in 1776. The "Constitution State" ratified the founding document 235 years ago – the fifth state to do so. Biden's Delaware was notably the first.
"God Save the Queen" is also a song by the Sex Pistols.
The day's White House pool report – which many news outlets rely on for a tick-tock of the president's public schedule – also appeared flummoxed at Biden's remark.
Queen Elizabeth II passed away on September 8, from old age. She was 96. (Photo by Tim Graham Picture Library/Getty Images)
"Those watching online heard the final utterance of president Biden at the gun summit -- god save the queen man -- several of you have asked me why he might have said that -- I have no idea," the pool report, assigned Friday to Dallas Morning News' White House correspondent Todd Gillman. "Other poolers likewise have no idea."
Outside the press pool, the reaction to Biden's closing utterance was met with equal scrutiny – proffering questions about his widely discussed cognitive acuity:
"I have seen countless - and I mean countless - drunk people say something totally obscure like 'God save the Queen' and then jaunt around like a Joe Biden just did in an effort to play it off as if they were sober. He’s truly incapacitated," tweeted political strategist Evan Berryhill.
Chad Gilmartin, a deputy spokesman for House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., reacted by keying into something Biden often tells critics who question his abilities:
"Watch me – Joe Biden," Gilmartin tweeted.
"Seriously, how much longer can this keep going on?" added OutKick founder Clay Travis.
KING CHARLES OFFICIALLY CROWNED BRITISH MONARCH
Britain's King Charles walks in the Coronation Procession after his coronation ceremony at Westminster Abbey in London, Britain, May 6, 2023. (Richard Pohle/Pool via REUTERS)
Some observers wondered aloud Friday if the process to invoke the amendment to remove the president should be started, given his latest gaffe.
"Will anyone Invoke 25th amendment?" Daily Signal investigative columnist Roman Jankowski tweeted.
Republican Congressman Dan Crenshaw of Texas responded to Biden's comment simply with an image of former President Washington rolling his eyes.
"Joe Biden has lost it," added Fox News contributor Leo Terrell.
During a White House report from correspondent Mark Meredith, Fox News host Neil Cavuto wondered aloud on "Your World" why Biden would say such a thing during a speech.
"Was it in response to [something]?" he asked.
"We're still trying to figure it out," replied Meredith. "Nobody's really sure."
"Were they playing a Monty Python skit or something?" Cavuto responded.
Response from some United Kingdom natives was equally critical, as a former aide to the late Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher appeared to question Biden's cognitive abilities.
"Joe Biden fully in charge of his faculties," tweeted Nile Gardiner, who included a video of Biden's remark below his introduction.
"The dementia is so bad that he now thinks he's British," quipped Greg Price of the State Freedom Caucus Network.
In May 2022, dozens of Republican lawmakers demanded Biden take a cognitive test or drop his 2024 reelection bid.
The effort, led by Rep. Ronny Jackson, R-Texas, who served as Presidents Obama and Trump's White House physician, included 61 lawmakers concerned with Biden's "current cognitive state and ability."
"We believe that, regardless of gender, age, or political party, all Presidents should document and demonstrate sound mental abilities," the GOP members wrote.
The letter said Biden's White House physician, Dr. Kevin O'Connor, labeled the president a "healthy, vigourous, 80-year-old male, who is fit successfully execute the duties of the Presidency, to include those as Chief Executive, Head of State, and Commander in Chief" after his preceding physical.
Fox News' Houston Keene contributed to this report.