President Joe Biden told a grating joke about the “thin walls” of his childhood home, drawing laughter from Westchester County crowds.
In a speech in Valhalla, New York, he made an odd comment in which he slammed Republicans’ negotiating position, saying it risked a US default.
“We lived in a split-level, three-bedroom house on a housing development that was a nice area at the time they developed suburbs,” Biden said.
“With four children and a grandfather who live with us. Thinking back on it makes me wonder how thin those walls were for my mum and dad, but anyway…” he panned blankly, eliciting laughter.
It was hard to tell how the crowd took the remark, but in the past Biden has spoken of thin walls emerging to indicate economic uncertainty. (The President was raised in Scranton, Pennsylvania before moving to Claymont, Del.)
President Joe Biden flew to Westchester County, New York, where he denounced Republicans, saying their stance risked state bankruptcy. He shared a story about growing up in a house with ‘thin walls’
Speaking on the anniversary of the Affordable Care Act in March, he also recalled growing up in the home.
“I can remember we lived in a three bedroom house on two levels and my bedroom was against the wall where my parents’ bedroom was – and my father’s headboard was there. And I – I remember one thing – I was about 14 years old. And I remember my father – I could see him – you could hear he was just restless. And I asked my mom the next morning when he left for work, “What’s up?” She said, “Well, his company just told him they’re not going to pay for health insurance anymore.”
“How many people lie awake in bed wondering?
He said something similar that same month when he spoke about the budget – an issue that was the subject of his Wednesday speech, along with the debt limit.
“My father would probably be angry if I told him if he were alive.” We lived in a three bedroom, split level house. I mean it was a beautiful home. “We were a middle-class family of four kids and a grandfather, and the bed I shared with my two brothers had the headboard against the wall of my father’s room,” he said.
Biden often speaks about growing up in Scranton, Pennsylvania and Claymont, Del. and the problems of his family
The RNC tweeted about the incident
“My father was really restless. One night you could hear it. You could hear the bed and the next morning I asked my mom, ‘What’s wrong with Dad?’ She said, ‘His company said no more health insurance.’ They wouldn’t pay for it.’
‘Guess what? Many people lie in bed at night wondering what to do. Do you have to sell the house? What do they have to do if one of them gets really sick? he said.
He also shared a potentially more racy version during his stay in Las Vegas in 2012.
“It was wonderful for children.” By the way: your grandfather lives with you, your great-aunt, your uncle, seriously. Those walls were terribly thin. I wonder how the hell my parents did that. But this is another story. I know you don’t know anything about this. I know none of you in your families have done the same.”
When Biden finished speaking Wednesday, he left a podium and then paused to wait for an official to give him directions. He looked at the man, pointed to a door for confirmation, and then followed him while a tap of “Stars and Stripes Forever” played.
It was just one of the instances when the President sought advice at an event to find the right exit. “Biden gets lost again trying to leave the stage” tweeted the research branch of the Republican National Committee.
The odd moments came as Biden ramped up his drive to try to force House Republicans to raise the debt limit on the street on Wednesday — where he praised a member of the House GOP who voted for a budget, Biden criticized for devastating cuts.
Biden flew to Westchester County north of New York City on Wednesday, where he immediately drew attention to Republican Rep. Mike Lawler, who defeated Democratic Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney last year.
“He’s on the other team,” Biden said. He called him one of “the Republicans I used to deal with” when he was a legislator for 36 years.
“He’s not one of those MAGA Republicans,” Biden said.
He began his speech with the risks of budget cuts that House Republicans are demanding as a price for raising the country’s statutory debt limit.
But Lawler himself, who won the seat with just 51 percent of the vote, voted in favor of the House GOP budget, which raised the debt ceiling for a year and provided for just a 1 percent increase in spending — below inflation and a return to last year’s levels.
Lawler has called for raising the debt ceiling to avoid a default, but also urged Biden to negotiate with Republicans.
Representing a district in the Hudson River Valley, he is one of five Republicans who led blue districts to bring the House of Representatives under Republican control in November 2022.
“I welcome him, of course,” Lawler said ahead of Biden’s trip. “I’m willing to hear what he has to say. But we must negotiate in good faith and I think it is wrong and frankly hypocritical to simply take the position that we will not negotiate.”
Biden hasn’t been as generous to McCarthy, or what he called the “very extreme wing” of the Republican Party.
“Now they refer to themselves as the MAGA Republicans,” he told a crowd in White Plains.
“They have taken control of the House of Representatives. “You have a speaker who has his job because he gave in to the MAGA element of the party,” Biden said.
Though Biden and Republicans appeared to make no progress at a meeting Tuesday, they agreed to hold renewed talks Friday, with the country facing a potential default within weeks as the Treasury Department runs out of “extraordinary measures” to address it to avoid exceeding the debt limit.
That comes a day after Biden addressed the close vote McCarthy had to overcome to take the gavel, including striking deals with members of the arch-conservative members of the House Freedom Caucus.
Valhalla, here I come: Biden slammed “MAGA Republicans” during his speech in Valhalla, New York, when he urged Republicans to raise the debt ceiling to avoid a default
Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY) attended the event where Biden tore up the GOP House budget that he voted for
Biden took over the House Republican budget after meeting at the White House with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky
“They are literally holding the economy hostage by threatening to default on our country’s debts that we have already incurred … unless we give in to their threats and demands, which is what we want them to do.” should do in terms of budget,” Biden said.
He said bringing spending back to 2022 funding levels would equate to significant cuts in veterans’ benefits, teachers and law enforcement.
“The speaker and the Republicans don’t like that, I’ll point that out,” Biden said. “But that’s not my opinion, it’s just simple math.”
He said the cuts, which protect defense spending, would result in the loss of 11,000 FBI officers, 2,000 border patrol agents and DEA officers.
“They would have to fire so many police officers,” he said.
He said the cuts would entail the closure of 375 air traffic control towers and save 30 million veteran health visits because a $22 billion increase would be eliminated.
“There aren’t enough staff,” he said. He even said the cuts could increase veteran suicides as aid is cut. “They want to go back to cropping the people who are now providing this type of assistance,” Biden said.
The speech is part of an ongoing public effort to persuade Republicans to back down on their demands.
Biden before tweeted Images of 217 House Republicans voting for the budget and saying they voted to “undermine veterans’ health care.”