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Biden messes up rapper's name, calls him 'boy' in gaffe-filled weekend appearance


President Joe Biden speaks in the State Dining Room, Wednesday, Sept. 6, 2023, at the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
President Joe Biden speaks in the State Dining Room, Wednesday, Sept. 6, 2023, at the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
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President Joe Biden failed to correct himself after mispronouncing the name of rapper LL Cool J while addressing the Congressional Black Caucus Saturday.

The rapper, born James Todd Smith, was present to receive the Phoenix Award for musical contributions along with rapper MC Lyte. When acknowledging the two, Biden, 80, appeared to stumble over the proper pronunciation of Smith’s rap title.

Two of the great artists of our time representing the groundbreaking legacy of hip hop in America , LL Jay Cool J, uhhh” he said, drawing laughter from the crowd.

Failing to correct the blunder, he called Smith, 55, “boy” before acknowledged the rapper’s physique.

“By the way that boy — that man’s got biceps bigger than my thighs,” Biden said.

Commenters on social media said the mistake reflected poorly on the president.

Ohhh god make it stop PLLLEASE . he's making a total mockery of this country,” one said.

“Lord someone do something,” another lamented.

X user "Politic Songs" also mocked the speech by turned a clip of it into a rap song.

President Biden has referred to other Black men as “boy” in the past, a term some see as racist. In February, he used the term to describe Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, the first Black person to occupy that post, The New York Post reported.

Sen. Corey Booker, D-N.J., scolded President Biden for similar remarks in 2019, saying “you don’t joke about calling black men ‘boys” while accusing him of trying to establish a power dynamic, The Post wrote.

The mishap follows a series of blunders by the president in other speaking engagements over the past several weeks. While addressing the Congressional Hispanic Caucus last week, Biden praised the merits of the “Congressional Black Caucus.”

He also repeated the same story of his decision to run for president “nearly word for word” within minutes of each other while speaking at a campaign reception in New York City last week.

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