President Biden Addressing a group of military service members and their families at a Fourth of July barbecue held at the White House on Thursday, he claimed he has been “in and out of battles.”
“And by the way, I’ve been all over the world with you. I’ve been in battles and out of battles,” the president, who has never served in the military although he has as commander-in-chief, said as he met President Volodymyr Zelensky. Ukraine in February 2023 and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in October 2023.
This is not the first time Biden has come under fire for remarks about military service members. In 2019, Biden came under fire for conflating and misrepresenting war stories when The Washington Post exposed an “interesting but false war story” he told during the campaign. Biden, who was the former vice president and presidential candidate at the time, later defended what he said, saying the “central point” was accurate.
The Veterans 4 America First Institute, a nonprofit veterans group, responded to Biden’s July 4th claims in an interview with Fox News Digital.
Peter O’Rourke is the former acting Secretary of State under President Trump and a veteran of both the Air Force and Navy. Darin Selnick, the former Veterans Affairs Advisor on the White House Domestic Policy Council, is also a former Air Force veteran. They are both currently serving as the Serve the veterans In his role with Veterans 4 America First.
President Biden made a gaffe at a Fourth of July barbecue held at the White House on Thursday, claiming to be “in and out of battles” for military service members and their families. (Getty Images)
“When a politician tries to say something about themselves and somehow equate their service with the service of the men and women who served, that’s always bad,” Selnick said. “So the war only includes the men and women who served, not President Joe Biden.”
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“The men and women who serve have been in wars all over the world. So just keep it at that. Don’t try to compare it to what you’re doing, relax and talk about that. Just speak about the servicemen and women, think about the country; don’t make it about yourself. It’s sad, because every time Joe Biden speaks, he always tries to make it about himself in some way or another,” Selnick said.
“…Every time Joe Biden speaks he always tries to make it about himself in some way.”
Former acting V.A. Secretary Peter O’Rourke also criticized the president’s claim.
“I think both Darin and I are frustrated by the continued disrespect that’s been going on, whether it’s examples of veterans who have been harmed in ways that don’t make a lot of sense, or they’re not really making the effort that we would want our president to make to express his concerns or feelings for veterans,” he said.
US President Joe Biden speaks during a 4th of July event on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC, July 4, 2024. The president is hosting an Independence Day celebration for military personnel and their families. (Samuel Corum/Getty Images)
O’Rourke added, “We saw an example of that, where he tried to find every opportunity to play politics, to attack his political opponent on a day when we should really be celebrating our independence. He was there to recognize and honor both veterans and active service members.”
Supporting the Veterans 4 America First Institute Former President Trump for his military policy in the November presidential election. Selnick told Fox News Digital, “We’re in a very critical time for both the military and veterans who have left the military. We need a commander in chief who will move things forward and do the right thing for veterans and the American people.”
US President Joe Biden, center, speaks during a barbecue with active-duty military service members and their families on the South Lawn of the White House, Thursday, July 4, 2024, in Washington, DC, US. Biden’s reelection campaign limped into the US Independence Day holiday, exhausted by a week of struggle to maintain his hold on his party’s nomination. (Tierney L. Cross/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“And that’s why we need Donald J. Trump as commander in chief again, because we had a much stronger military under his leadership,” Selnick said.
The mission of the Veterans 4 America First Institute, as listed on their website, is “to preserve and expand our nation’s commitment to our veterans, the military, and their families through public education and advocacy.”
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The White House has not responded to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
