If there is one thing Americans can expect from an election season, it is a plethora of political gaffes, and 2023 did not disappoint.
From the GOP presidential primary to the White House, America’s politicians continued to stumble and bumble their way toward 2024.
Let’s get the easiest target out of the way first.
Biden takes a tumble
Perhaps the single-most memorable political gaffe of the year occurred June 2 when President Biden was sending off graduates at the U.S. Air Force Academy.
Biden delivered a commencement address and stood on stage to shake the hands of every last graduate, but he collapsed to the floor as he turned to leave.
Americans have seen Biden trip and fall previously, most often on the steps leading up to Air Force One, but his tumble at the Air Force Academy was by far the most drastic of his presidency so far. Secret Service and military members nearby rushed to lift the president off the ground.
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VP Kamala Harris’ favorite holiday meal: word salad
Vice President Kamala Harris served Americans a generous helping of word salad throughout the year, but her most recent verbal stumble came just in time for Christmas.
Harris appeared on MSNBC’s “The Last Word” with Lawrence O’Donnell earlier this week to discuss former President Trump’s recent claim that illegal immigrants are “poisoning the blood of our country.”
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Her attack on Trump didn’t land how she planned, however.
“You know, every election cycle we talk about this is the most election of our lifetime,” Harris said. “Lawrence, this one is, this one is.”
“We are literally talking about people who are attempting to divide our country in the most crude, frankly, and profound way,” she said. “We are talking about those who are intent and purposeful to, to attack fundamental freedoms.”
“The freedom to be free from fear of violence and hate … the freedom to just … be. The freedom to just be,” she added.
Harris’ biggest gaffe came in July, however, when she gifted the American people with an incomprehensible and repetitive definition of the word “culture.”
“Culture is — it is a reflection of our moment in our time, right? And in present culture is the way we express how we’re feeling about the moment,” Harris said at a New Orleans music festival.
“And we should always find times to express how we feel about the moment that is a reflection of joy, because as you know, it comes in the morning,” she added.
“We have to find ways to also express the way we feel about the moment in terms of just having language and a connection to how people are experiencing life. And I think about it in that way, too,” Harris finished.
‘Twitter Spaces’ crashes DeSantis campaign launch
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis made the brave and potentially innovative move to launch his 2024 presidential campaign on what was then called “Twitter Spaces.”
The highly anticipated announcement, set to be made via a conversation with X CEO Elon Musk and tech entrepreneur David Sacks, was plagued by tech issues, with mobile apps repeatedly crashing and participants on the call unable to speak or hear one another.
Nearly 700,000 users logged in to hear the announcement roughly 20 minutes after it was set to launch. The event was then abruptly shut down without explanation.
“The servers are straining somewhat,” Musk was heard saying at one point.
DeSantis’ opponents were quick to jump on the stumbling start.
“This link works,” Biden tweeted, with a link to donate to his campaign.
Former President Donald Trump’s MAGA War Room tweeted an image of the Twitter Spaces with the words “failing to launch…” emblazoned across the top.
Vivek Ramaswamy goes to the bathroom
Entrepreneur and 2024 presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy has had many viral moments on the campaign trail, but none of them compare to an interview he conducted last week on X.
Ramaswamy appeared in an X “Spaces” conversation with Musk, conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, influencer Andrew Tate and Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla. At one point during the conversation, participants called out Ramaswamy for appearing to have taken his phone into the restroom.
Ramaswamy could be heard talking about how he is “super pro-human – and I mean all humans … uh, you know, humans in America” while the sound of splashing water could be heard in the background.
Jones jumped on the sound immediately: “Somebody’s got their thing on while they’re peeing!”
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Host of the conversation Mario Nawfal jumped in to attempt to fix the situation. “Vivek, Vivek, that’s your phone, Vivek. I’m not able to mute you.”
“Sorry about that,” Ramaswamy responded.
“Well, I hope you feel better now,” Musk quipped.
“I feel great, thank you,” Ramaswamy finished.
Vivek Ramaswamy, chairman and co-founder of Strive Asset Management and 2024 Republican presidential candidate, during the Republican presidential primary debate hosted by NewsNation in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, US, on Wednesday, Dec. 6, 2023. (Micah Green/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Fox News’ Jamie Joseph, Thomas Catenacci and Kelley Phares contributed to this report