MSN
Joe Biden left an audience baffled on Friday night when he ended a speech with his latest gaffe, saying: “God save the Queen”.
Uttering a phrase possibly not heard on American soil since about 1776, the US president confused gun safety advocates as he cut off an address in Connecticut.
Mr Biden told the audience at the National Safer Communities Summit in West Hartford that bad weather was heading into the area and therefore he would be unable to shake hands with all the attendees, an interaction known in public relations parlance as a “ropeline”.
The US president said: “I will stand in front of each section – no, I really mean it – if you can see the camera they can see you. It is the least consequential part of this whole meeting for you, I promise.”
Then just before putting down his microphone, he said: “All right? God save the Queen, man”.
It is unclear if the president was referring to Queen Camilla, the late Queen Elizabeth II, Queen Charlotte – who as wife of King George III was the last British queen to preside over the American colonies – or perhaps the Sex Pistols song.
Mr Biden’s critics were quick to jump on the phrase and “God save the Queen” began trending on Twitter.
Dan Crenshaw, a Republican congressman from Texas, responded to Mr Biden’s comment with an image of former US President George Washington rolling his eyes.
During a report on the speech, Fox News host Neil Cavuto wondered aloud why Mr Biden would say it.
“Were they playing a Monty Python skit or something?” Mr Cavuto asked.
Other Twitter users pointed out that Mr Biden has used the phrase before to end his speeches.
The White House press office clarified Mr Biden’s remarks on Friday night. A spokesperson told The Independent that the president “couldn’t do the full ropeline due to weather, and was commenting to someone in the crowd”.
Connecticut was one of the 13 colonies to declare independence from the British monarchy in 1776 and the fifth state to ratify the US Constitution.
