[Video below.] Joe Biden, during his first public appearance since leaving the White House, sparked backlash Tuesday by using the term “colored kids” while recounting a childhood memory that he said inspired his political journey.
Speaking about his family’s move from Scranton, Pennsylvania, to Wilmington, Delaware, Biden, 82, remarked that prior to relocating, he had “never seen hardly any black people.” Recalling the experience, he said, “I was only going in fourth grade,” as he described a moment when his mother drove him to Catholic school. “And I remember seeing kids going by, at the time called ‘colored kids,’ on a bus go by — they never turned right to go to Claymont High School.”
Biden explained that discovering how black children were barred from attending the same schools as white children “sparked my sense of outrage as a kid.”
The remarks were delivered at the Advocates, Counselors, and Representatives for the Disabled (ACRD) conference in Chicago, where Biden primarily focused on defending Social Security.
“Social Security is more than a government program. It’s a sacred promise,” Biden said, using the opportunity to claim that Congressional Republicans want to “cut and gut” the system that supports millions of senior citizens.
“Who the h— do they think they are?” he exclaimed, visibly angered, though he quickly tempered his reaction. “I will not go further. I’ll get in trouble,” he added.
Throughout the nearly half-hour address, Biden avoided directly naming President Trump.
Nevertheless, he referenced ongoing narratives pushed by Trump and Elon Musk, the head of the Department of Government Efficiency, regarding alleged fraud within Social Security.
“Those 300-year-old folk getting that Social Security, I want to meet them,” Biden quipped. “I’d like to figure out how they live that long.”
“H— of a thing, man. I’m looking for longevity,” he added.
The event didn’t begin smoothly. As Biden walked onstage, his microphone was drowned out by a booming Bruce Springsteen song, causing his initial comments to be inaudible.
At the conclusion of his speech, Biden lingered for a moment, scanning both sides of the platform before spotting the stairs, pointing toward them, and finally making his exit.
WATCH:

{Matzav.com}