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President Joe Biden was trolled by Republicans on social media after experiencing a gaffe while singing "Happy Birthday" to a guest at the White House on Sunday (January 5).
Biden was celebrating the signing of the Social Security Fairness Act when he was joined onstage by Eliseo Jimenez, a 17-year-old who walked from Lubbock, Texas, to Washington, D.C., in an effort to spread awareness on the limits of Social Security. The president acknowledged Jimenez's birthday, joking that the teenager was "just around the corner from receiving Social Security," before appearing to either forget his name entirely or its correct pronunciation as he mumbled while the crowd sang, "...dear Eliseo."
Footage of the incident was shared by the conservative X account, @RNCResearch, which led to scrutiny from many Republicans.
“Biden brought a guy on stage to sing happy birthday to him… The problem is he either doesn’t know his name or forgot it… and mumbled nonsense instead,” comedian and podcaster Tim Young said. “Only 15 more days of this…," comedian and podcaster Tim Young wrote.
Kyle Lamb, an economic analyst and former staffer for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, said Biden's singing was like “Me when I’m in the car and after the chorus, the second verse begins and I’m trying to confidently assure myself I know the lyrics.”
Biden had previously experienced a similar incident while singing "Happy Birthday" to Arndrea Waters King, the wife of Martin Luther King III, at the National Action Network's annual Martin Luther King Jr. birthday breakfast. The president appeared to forget King's name during the song, appearing to sing, "Happy Birthday, dear Valen," as he trailed off.