President Biden claimed to have taught a college-level course on Thursday during a speech at Prince George’s Community College in Maryland, telling students "our democracy is under attack, and we got to fight for it."
The 80-year-old president added, “I taught at the University of Pennsylvania for four years and I used to teach political theory. And folks, you always hear, every generation has to fight for democracy.”
But there's one big problem with that: he never taught a single course.
As an an honorary professor at the university from February 2017 to April 2019, Biden made public appearances on campus, including participating in Q&A events, giving a lecture to Wharton business school grads, and touting his book, “Promise Me, Dad,” but he never taught a semester-long class. Meanwhile, according to the New York Post, he raked in about $900,000 for the honorary gig.
BIDEN: "I taught at the University of Pennsylvania for four years and I used to teach political theory..."
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) September 14, 2023
Biden was paid $1 million, but he never taught a single class. pic.twitter.com/UBhmJJRMOP
Thursday's remarks were not the first time Biden suggested he taught a college course.
During the 2020 campaign, Biden claimed to be a "professor" at UPenn while giving an answer to an 18-year-old on what he was doing to appeal to young, progressive voters.
“There’s a lot we can do. When I left the United States Senate, I became a professor at the University of Pennsylvania,” he said.
Biden was given the honorary position when he left the vice presidency in 2017, not when he left the Senate.