Joe Biden labeled 'pathetic liar' for repeating his college football tale to West Point graduates

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: During his commencement speech at West Point on Saturday, May 25, President Joe Biden reiterated a claim that he turned down an appointment to the US Naval Academy, where he allegedly wanted to play football.

Years before they faced off in 1972, Biden revealed to West Point graduates that Republican Senator J Caleb Boggs, whom he defeated to become a US senator, had "appointed" him to the Naval Academy.

According to Fox News, the President recounted that before his interview, "I found out two days earlier they had a quarterback named Roger Staubach, and a halfback named Joe Bellino. And I said, I'm not going there. I went to Delaware. Not a joke."

Joe Biden told the same story to Naval Academy graduates in 2022

In 2022, Biden told graduates of the Naval Academy the same tale that in 1965 he had been accepted but had chosen not to enroll. But in narrating the tale on Saturday, Biden omitted a specific date.

Staubach, a Heisman Trophy winner and NFL Hall of Famer, played his first game for Navy in 1962. Bellino, the first Naval Academy player to win the Heisman Trophy, played his last game in January 1961.

Joe Biden played for the high school team at Archmere Academy in Claymont

Biden earned his diploma in 1961 at Claymont's Archmere Academy, where he played high school ball. He was a productive wide receiver in his final year of high school, hauling in ten touchdowns in just eight games. In 2021, Yahoo Sports reported that the team had an undefeated season.

Biden, who graduated from the University of Delaware in 1965, reportedly played briefly on the 1961 freshman squad but not for the entire season.

"In almost any group I was the leader," Biden wrote in his autobiography, 'Promises to Keep'. "I was the leading scorer on our undefeated and untied football team my senior year, and I didn’t lack for confidence on the field."

Staubach graduated from the Naval Academy in 1964 before he left to fight in Vietnam and later returned to play 11 seasons with the Dallas Cowboys. Bellino, who also fought in Vietnam and had a brief NFL career, graduated in 1961 — at least four years before Biden claimed he was thinking about playing football for the Midshipmen. 

Republican National Committee's research team called Joe Biden's claim questionable

Biden's claim was deemed dubious by RNC Research, an X account run by the Republican National Committee's fast response team. "He has repeated this lie many times before and there is still no record any of it ever happened," RNC posted.

It was Biden's speech at West Point that marked his second time attending the military academy's graduation ceremony. As vice president, he had previously given the commencement speech in 2016.

Internet terms Joe Biden 'pathetic liar' for reiterating football story

Netizens mocked Biden after he repeated his football claims to West Point graduates at his commencement address. One X user wrote, "He has dementia," and another penned, "Omg!!! Pathetic liar."

"I thought he had 2S draft deferment because of 'asthma'," said one user and another added, "Getting really tired of his lies of his life that he is fabricated."

"Is there anything he hasn't done in his life?" asked one user.

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.