Joe Biden stumbled into an easily disproven lie during an attempt to pander to workers in Pennsylvania. Biden, visiting a Mack Truck factory in the Lehigh Valley, claimed that he “used to drive an 18-wheeler.” Biden rode in one at least once in 1973 to write an article on the experience, but there is no record of his ever driving one and he certainly worked as a truck driver, as his remark was apparently meant to imply.
Appealing to American manufacturers
Biden is currently supporting a plan intended to increase manufacturing in America by developing stricter standards for what can be described as an American product.
Current rules state that companies are allowed to describe their products as being “made in America” if at least 55% of the product components are made in the United States. The rest can be manufactured elsewhere.
The plan supported by Biden would increase that requirement to 75%, theoretically forcing companies to invest more heavily in American manufacturing if they want to keep the selling their products with the label.
The question would be whether or not the “made in America” tag earns enough money to encourage manufacturers to abandon cheap labor overseas.
Apparently enthusiastic about appealing to the blue collar voters who might be doing this manufacturing, Biden got somewhat carried away.
Audio captured at the Mack Truck event was quickly circulated online as the claim was proven to have no basis in reality.
Joe Biden, a career politician who has been in politics for 48 years, claims he "used to drive an 18 wheeler.” pic.twitter.com/eOXI9pwF2g
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) July 28, 2021
Biden claims a profession he never had
Biden has been a career politician for most of his life; before entering politics he prepared by studying and practicing law. The White House was happy to point out that he once drove a school bus as a summer job.
Lack of blue collar experience has not stopped Biden from attempting to secure a blue collar appeal in his many quests for high office.
He either assumed that no one would check his easily disproven lie about having once worked as a truck driver or he was actually confused enough to believe he had driven 18-wheelers. Either is possible.
White House staff have attempted to keep the president on a tight leash with mixed success. Press Secretary Jen Psaki has admitted that they prefer to not allow Biden to speak freely.
Biden himself has confessed this as well, though this has not stopped him from stumbling into a number of embarrassing remarks when he has opportunities to speak off the cuff.
As usual Biden can rely on having his mistakes shielded whenever possible by the media and on the fact that he is widely known to be something of a figurehead in his own administration.
