Biden claims Delaware firefighters almost died at his home despite minor damage

President Biden stated Tuesday that Delaware firefighters almost died battling a small fireplace in his kitchen in 2004 — although an area fireplace official stated on the time that the blaze was shortly extinguished.

Biden typically turns heads with questionable biographical claims and made the comment whereas testifying to the bravery of firefighters throughout digital remarks to a fireplace prevention summit.

“I used to be doing ‘Meet the Press’ and lightning struck a little bit pond behind my home, got here up via the bottom into the air con system and ended up producing thick black smoke,” Biden stated of the blaze at his house in Wilmington, Del. “And from the basement to the third flooring, the attic, every little thing was ruined.

“And the kitchen flooring — we nearly misplaced a pair firefighters, they inform me, as a result of the kitchen flooring was — the burning between the beams and in the home along with, it nearly collapsed into the basement,” the president added.

Biden drew criticism simply final week for telling a much less detailed model of the story to Hurricane Ian victims in Florida, saying “we all know the sensation” of experiencing vital house harm.

“We didn’t lose our house, however lightning struck and we misplaced an terrible lot of it,” Biden stated.

On the time of the fireplace at Biden’s house, Cranston Heights, Del., Fireplace Firm Chief George Lamborn instructed The Related Press, “Fortunately, we received it fairly early. The fireplace was beneath management in 20 minutes.”

The Publish couldn’t instantly attain Lamborn or a member of the Cranston Heights Fireplace Firm for touch upon Biden’s newest account.

The president’s telling of the home fireplace has garnered scrutiny for years, together with when Biden stated final November, “I do know, having had a home burn down with my spouse in it — she received out safely, God prepared — that having a good portion of it burn, I can inform: 10 minutes makes a hell of a distinction.”

Biden, who turns 80 subsequent month, is the oldest-ever American president and critics routinely query his psychological health — with concentrate on his wellbeing rising final month when Biden looked for the late Rep. Jackie Walorski (R-Ind.) at an occasion, regardless of publicly mourning her loss of life eight weeks earlier.

However Biden’s behavior of sharing false biographical particulars stretches again a long time and he routinely offers inaccurate info in a bid to construct a private connection together with his audiences.

Biden instructed an viewers final week in Puerto Rico that “I used to be type of raised in the Puerto Rican group at house, politically.” Solely about 2,000 Puerto Ricans lived in Delaware when he was launching his profession and his biographies include no details about interacting with the small group.

Biden final September instructed Jewish leaders that he remembered “spending time at” and “going to” Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life synagogue in 2018 after the worst anti-Semitic assault in US historical past, in which 11 folks have been murdered. The synagogue stated he by no means visited and the White Home later stated he was pondering about a 2019 telephone name to the synagogue’s rabbi.

Later that month, Biden instructed an Idaho viewers that his “first job provide” got here from native lumber and wooden merchandise enterprise Boise Cascade. The corporate stated his story was information to them.

In January, Biden instructed college students at traditionally black faculties in Atlanta that he was arrested a number of occasions whereas protesting in favor of civil rights — one other declare for which there is no proof.

Biden stated on the Naval Academy’s commencement ceremony in Could that he was appointed to the army faculty in 1965 by the late Sen. J. Caleb Boggs (R-Del.). A search of Boggs’ archives failed to flip up proof of the appointment. 

And Biden has instructed at the least eight occasions as president a chronologically not possible story involving a former Amtrak conductor to underscore his love of passenger rail — most just lately final month whereas internet hosting union negotiators in the Oval Workplace to rejoice the obvious aversion of a main rail strike.

Biden admitted final month to South African President Cyril Ramaphosa that “I wasn’t arrested” attempting to go to Nelson Mandela throughout the apartheid period, regardless of saying so at the least 3 times in 2020.

The president’s dangerous press for sharing false biographical particulars dates again to at the least the Nineteen Eighties. He ended his first presidential marketing campaign in 1987 on account of a scandal involving plagiarism of speeches and a regulation faculty paper.

On the stump, Biden lifted from British politician Neil Kinnock to explain “my ancestors, who labored within the coal mines of Northeast Pennsylvania and would come up after 12 hours and play soccer for 4 hours” — however Biden’s ancestors didn’t mine coal.

Earlier than he dropped out of the 1988 presidential major, Biden additionally falsely claimed that he “graduated with three levels from school,” was named “the excellent pupil within the political science division,” “went to regulation faculty on a full tutorial scholarship — the one one in my class to have a full tutorial scholarship” and ”ended up within the high half” of his class.

None of these claims have been true.