‘He’s such a liar’: Internet trolls Joe Biden as he retells debunked house fire story for seventh time

LANSING, MICHIGAN: President Joe Biden has come under scrutiny for repeatedly recounting an embellished tale about a house fire in 2004 that he says nearly claimed the lives of his wife Jill, their cat, and his Corvette.

The story resurfaced during his recent campaign trail stop in Michigan on Thursday, March 14, reigniting concerns over the accuracy of his anecdotes.

Inconsistencies and contradictions

During his speech to a crowd, President Biden recounted the incident, stating that the fire department had heroically "saved my wife, saved my cat, and saved my Corvette" following a lightning strike at their Delaware home.

However, historical reports indicate that the fire was minor and confined to the kitchen, contradicting the President's dramatic retelling. Firefighters managed to bring the blaze under control within a mere 20 minutes, dispelling the notion of a near-catastrophic event.

This is not the first time President Biden has shared this exaggerated story; he has repeated it at least seven times during his presidency, including during a visit to Hawaii in August, per the Daily Mail.

The state was reeling from the deadliest wildfire in US history, yet Biden chose to draw parallels with his own experience, drawing criticism for the tone-deafness of his remarks.

"I don't want to compare difficulties but we have a little sense, Jill and I, of what it's like to lose a home," Biden said. "Years ago, now 15 years ago, while I was in Washington doing Meet The Press, it was a sunny Sunday, and lightning struck at home on a little lake outside our home - not a lake, a pond."

According to him, the spark traversed through the wires into the heating ducts and reached the kitchen. "To make a long story short, I almost lost my wife, my 67 Corvette, and my cat. But all kidding aside - I watched the firefighters, the way they responded," he said.

Earlier in March last year, at a conference for firefighters, he claimed, "Lightning struck in a pond behind my house, went up underneath the conduit, and caught the — caught fire underneath the floorboards of my house. It was during the summer. Air conditioning was on. Smoke that thick all three stories. My fire company was there to go in and save my wife, get her out; the cat; and my ’67 Corvette."

Furthermore, during a summit on fire prevention in October 2021, President Biden made a bizarre claim that their kitchen fire had nearly resulted in the loss of firefighters' lives. 

"We almost lost a couple of firefighters, they tell me, because the kitchen floor was — the — burning between beams in the house, in addition to almost collapsed into the basement," he said at the time. 

This assertion contradicts the accounts provided by Cranston Heights Fire Company Chief George Lamborn, who noted how the firefighters quickly brought the situation under control.

"Luckily, we got it pretty early. The fire was under control in 20 minutes," Lamborn said at the time.

Internet reacts to house fire anecdote

The controversy surrounding Biden's embellished claims comes amid growing concerns regarding his age and fitness for office.

A recent poll conducted by The New York Times and Siena College revealed that a majority of voters who supported Biden in 2020 now believe he is "too old" to effectively lead the country.

The survey highlighted a shift in perception among Biden's former supporters, with 61 percent expressing doubts about his ability to govern due to his age. The skepticism regarding President Biden's age extends across various demographics, indicating a broader consensus among voters regarding his fitness for office.

Despite attempts to address concerns within his own party and counter Republican attacks labeling him as senile, the President continues to face scrutiny over his cognitive abilities.

Social media platforms were inundated with reactions to President Biden's exaggerated house fire story. 

"He’s such a liar," one posted on X.

"Fun fact - Dementia Joe has lied his entire life. So no one is shocked when he is retelling one of his proven lies," another offered.

"Guess it’s better than Beau died in Iraq," someone else quipped.

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.