As President Biden surveyed the damage done by the remnants of Hurricane Ida in New Jersey and New York on Tuesday, he received a briefing from New Jersey officials on the progress they've made and areas in which they need federal assistance.
In the course of this televised discussion, President Biden found himself talking about severe weather and meteorological nomenclature and it didn't go well:
"It's all across the country, you know, the members of Congress know from their colleagues in Congress that uh, you know, it looks like a tornado, they don't call 'em that anymore, that hit the crops and wetlands in the middle of the country in Iowa and Nevada and I mean, it's just across the board. And uh, you know um, as I said, we're in this together."
Joe Biden doesn’t think that people use the term “tornadoes” anymore. pic.twitter.com/s8hEg2aLqF
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) September 7, 2021
While it's unclear exactly what the President was trying to say, it seems he is confusing a derecho that swept across the city of Nevada, Iowa in August of 2020 with not-tornado tornadoes that struck the states of Nevada and Iowa. Surely, the President knows that Nevada is not in the middle of the country, right?
In any case, to clear things up: Tornadoes are still tornadoes and Derechos are still Derechos. Nevada is not in the middle of the country, but Nevada, Iowa is.
Predictably, Biden's gaffe drew a quick reaction from meteorologists and residents in the states Biden mentioned as reporters and members of Congress piled on.
Yes, we still call them tornadoes. ?? https://t.co/uK4vUg0ytV
— Janice Dean (@JaniceDean) September 7, 2021
The Nevada thing threw me off as well. Ok. I’m done.
— Janice Dean (@JaniceDean) September 7, 2021
Doing the weather is not as easy as it looks.
— Janice Dean (@JaniceDean) September 7, 2021
I’ve lived in Nevada for 32 years and I just became aware that we are
— Fiscal Therapist (@BigLifeMark) September 7, 2021
A. in the middle of the country
B. have crops and wetlands
C. have tornadoes that wipe those out https://t.co/y2EkpGu7jP
In Indiana we still call them tornadoes… did I miss something? https://t.co/7kMF5onIZi
— Jim Banks (@RepJimBanks) September 7, 2021
What do they call them? Twisters? Vortexes? Wind tubes? https://t.co/9bXjRlPDqL
— Ashe Short (@AsheSchow) September 7, 2021
Tornados no longer exist. Biden stopped them forever.
— Matt Vespa (@mVespa1) September 7, 2021
Join the conversation as a VIP Member