Biden says 'poor kids' are just as bright as 'white kids'

Joe Biden
(Image credit: Alex Wong / Getty Images)

Former Vice President Joe Biden while speaking before the Asian & Latino Coalition in Iowa on Thursday accidentally said that "poor kids" are just as bright as "white kids."

Biden at this Des Moines event was discussing advanced placement programs in schools when he told the crowd, "We have this notion that somehow if you're poor, you cannot do it. Poor kids are just as bright and just as talented as white kids," Bloomberg reports.

The former vice president, it appears, quickly realized his mistake, as he immediately added, "...wealthy kids, black kids, Asian kids. No, I really mean it."

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This came hours after another gaffe from Biden in Iowa, as he had earlier in the day also told a crowd, seemingly on accident, that "we choose truth over facts." Then there was a moment in which Biden started to refer to former British Prime Minister Theresa May as Margaret Thatcher, which CNN's Daniel Dale points out is his second time doing so in the past few months.

Biden, of course, has a long history of gaffes, and he previously came under fire for saying that then-Senator Barack Obama was the "first mainstream African American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy," as The Washington Post reports. Biden quickly apologized, saying he "deeply" regrets the "offense" the remark caused.

Watch Biden's most unfortunate gaffe of his Thursday Iowa visit below. Brendan Morrow

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Brendan Morrow

Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.