Joe Biden's Corn Pop tale is at least not completely made up

A resurfaced video from 2017 of former Vice President Joe Biden recounting how in 1962 he faced down a black neighborhood gang leader caused a stir this weekend. Many people questioned the veracity of the tale, and some even figured the adversary was a figment of Biden's imagination, but it turns out that William "Corn Pop" Morris was real.

Biden said he was working as a lifeguard at a pool in Wilmington, Delaware, when he reprimanded Morris for breaking pool rules. Morris supposedly threatened to fight Biden after the pool closed, but Biden instead used diplomacy to prevent a physical altercation. The two then allegedly reconciled and became friends, and Biden has since told the story as an example of his conflict resolution skills, while noting that the event was key to developing his relationship with the black community in Delaware. (The latter aspect, in particular, has garnered criticism).

It turns out that many people remember Morris and Biden interacting at the pool, even if they can't verify the specifics of Biden's retelling, The Washington Post reports. Even if they never did almost fight, sources do recall the two eventually hitting it off. The late Morris' family also remembers Morris talking about the Democratic presidential candidate. His son, Leon Morris, reportedly has no issue with Biden telling the story; he just doesn't want his father, whom he said was a "kindhearted man" to get a bad reputation because of it. Read more at The Washington Post. Tim O'Donnell

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