Joe Biden Said "End of Quote" in a Speech, and That's Apparently a Big Deal

Long before he was president of the United States, most people knew that Joe Biden was not the most gifted speaker in the world. He's a politician, so he's certainly capable of rousing oration, but he's also known to make the occasional mistake while speaking, and actually suffered from a speech impediment when he was younger. In a recent speech, Biden appeared to make one of his signature gaffes, but was it actually a mistake?

During a recent speech prior to departing for his Thanksgiving holiday, Biden discussed topics like the economy and inflation, and his plans to address many of the concerns Americans have about the economy. During the speech, Biden quoted Walmart CEO Doug McMillan, who praised the action that the Biden's administration had taken to sure up the economy in recent weeks.

“And, by the way, you may have heard the CEO of Walmart yesterday on the steps we’ve taken. He said, and I quote, ‘The combination of private enterprise and government working together has been really successful,” Biden said. “He went on to say, ‘All the way through the supply chain there’s a lot of innovation, because of the actions we’ve taken things have begun to change,’ end of quote,” the president said.

Although some were confused by the president's decision to say "end of quote" out loud, assuming that it was a mistake, that's not likely to be the case. In fact, Biden has done this many times before, and takes this step to ensure that those listening understand when he's finished quoting someone else.

Biden took up the habit after a plagiarism scandal helped to sink his presidential campaign all the way back in 1988. Now, he makes it clear when he's quoting someone else, and when his rhetoric is entirely his own. Some may want to use Biden's decision to say "end of quote" as evidence that he's in cognitive decline, but that doesn't seem to be the case. That didn't stop right wing media outlets from taking advantage of the quote, however, using it as evidence that Biden is unfit for office.

While much of the right wing media focused exclusively on a totally logical three-word phrase that Biden decided to include in his speech, they didn't spend nearly as much time covering the actual substance of Biden's remarks. In the speech, he addressed American's concerns about rising gas prices head on, and he also discussed the steps he's taking to fix the global supply chain.

"Right now, I will do what needs to be done to reduce the price you pay at the pump," the president said.

Although many may be unhappy with rising costs, Biden clearly wants the focus to be on the steps he's taking to address them. He may be known for making the occasional gaffe, but in this case, the gaffe is almost entirely fabricated.