The White House struggled Wednesday to defend President Joe Biden’s claim that he “used to drive an 18-wheeler” truck.
Biden made the claim while he was visiting a Mack Truck facility in Pennsylvania on Wednesday, Fox News reported.
“I used to drive an 18-wheeler, man,” Biden said. He then seemed to clarify, “I got to.”
Joe Biden, a career politician who has been in politics for 48 years, claims he "used to drive an 18 wheeler.” pic.twitter.com/eOXI9pwF2g
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) July 28, 2021
When asked about the claim, a White House spokesperson told Fox News to look at a December 1973 article in the Wilmington Evening Journal.
The article showed that Biden rode in an 18-wheeler on a 536-mile haul to Ohio.
“The extent of Biden’s trucking experience is that he **rode in** a truck once, for one night in 1973 (he made sure to return home by plane though).”
There is zero evidence that Biden "used to drive an 18 wheeler"
The extent of Biden's trucking experience is that he **rode in** a truck once, for one night in 1973 (he made sure to return home by plane though) https://t.co/p9sPMU20W3 pic.twitter.com/A7tmkoOSHB
— Zach Parkinson (@AZachParkinson) July 28, 2021
Riding in an 18-wheeler is not the same thing as driving one.
When Fox News pointed that fact out to the White House spokesperson, they pointed to a post from the United Federation of Teachers that talked about Biden driving a school bus in the past as a summer job.
According to SchoolBusFleet.com, “Most school buses have two axles, with the bigger models having two wheels on the front axle and four wheels on the dual axle, for a total of six wheels.”
Larger coach-type buses, like motorcoaches, can have three axles, but even if there were two wheels on each axel, it would not add up to 18.
“Truck driver, coal miner, it’s all just nonsense Biden makes up because he thinks reporters won’t call him on it,” Parkinson tweeted.
Parkinson was referencing comments Biden made in 2008 when he falsely claimed to be a “hard coal miner” at the United Mine Workers’ annual fish fry.
This is just the latest in Biden’s recent gaffes as president.
In March, the White House altered a transcript after Biden mixed up the names of the president of Afghanistan and the former leader of the Pakistani military.