President Biden made an awkward joke at the White House on Thursday during a film screening of Flamin Hot, the directorial debut of Hollywood actress Eva Longoria.
The 80-year-old President and the 48-year-old actress have known each other for a long time, and Biden joked to the crowd outside the executive mansion, She was 17, I was 40, drawing some laughter. However, Bidens joke was factually incorrect, as he would have been 50 when Longoria was 17, and she would have been 7 when he was 40. Longoria, a longtime Democratic Party ally, supported Biden in 2020 and previously campaigned with him when he was Barack Obamas running mate.
Bidens age remark was not the only joke of the night. He introduced himself to the crowd with a frequently deployed wisecrack, saying, Im Jill Bidens husband. During his remarks, an audience member shouted, I love you, the commander-in-chief hollered back, I accept!
The White Houses decision to screen Longorias movie has not been without controversy. Flamin Hot, tells how a Mexican American janitor, Richard Montanez, working at Frito-Lay, sold his bosses on the idea to spice up the Cheetos snack brand. However, a Los Angeles Times expose cast doubt on Montanezs claims, and Frito-Lay says he was not involved in creating the spicy treat.
When I think about tonights movie, I think about courage. So many of you, your ancestors left behind all that they knew to start a new life in the United States, Biden said of the film. A White House official defended the decision to screen the film, telling the Associated Press that the movie is not a documentary and was shown to give Americans from different backgrounds a chance to see themselves reflected in film and celebrated by the President.
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