'Grandpa has a lot of stories': Biden mocked as veterans slam POTUS for his battlefield stories in Fourth of July speech

WASHINGTON, DC: President Joe Biden said he's been "in and out of battles" while speaking to a group of military personnel and their families at the White House Fourth of July Barbecue on Thursday, July 4. 

"And by the way, I've been all over the world with you. I've been in and out of battles," the president said, who never served in the military, though as Commander-in-Chief, met with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine in February 2023 and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel in October 2023.

Joe Biden previously came under fire for remarks to military service members

Joe Biden has faced criticism before for comments he made to military personnel.

In 2019, after the Washington Post revealed a "moving but false war story" that Biden had shared during the campaign, he faced criticism for confusing and misrepresenting war stories. Later, Biden, the then-vice president and presidential candidate, defended his remarks, stating that the "central point" was true.

Non-profit group Veterans 4 America First Institute responded to Joe Biden's Fourth of July claims

Veterans 4 America First Institute, a non-profit veterans' group, responded to Joe Biden's Fourth of July claims in an interview with Fox News.

"It's always bad form when a politician tries to make it about themselves and somehow equate their service with the service of those men and women who serve," Darin Selnick, former Veteran Affairs Advisor for the White House Domestic Policy Council, said. "So the only one who has been in battle are the men and women who served, not President Joe Biden."

"The men and women who serve have been all over the world in battle. So just keep it to that. Don't try to equate what you're doing with that, cozy up and and and that sort of thing. Just speak about the servicemen and women, think about the country; don't make it about you. That's the sad part, because every time Joe Biden speaks he always somehow tries to make it about him," Selnick added.

"I think the disappointment Darin and I both share is the continued disrespect, whether it's examples of veterans that have been harmed in ways that don't make a lot of sense, or just not really providing the efforts that we'd love to see our presidents give when it comes to articulating their concerns or their feelings toward veterans," Peter O'Rourke, a former Acting Secretary for Veterans Affairs under former President Donald Trump and a veteran of both the Air Force and Navy said.

Peter O'Rourke and Darin Selnick, both currently serve veterans in their roles with Veterans 4 America First.

Veterans 4 America First Institute backs Donald Trump for his military policy

Veterans 4 America First Institute supports Donald Trump for his military policy in the upcoming presidential election in November.

Selnick told the outlet, "we're in a very crucial time both for the military and for the veterans who have left the military. We need a commander in chief that's going to move things forward and do what's right, for the veterans, and for the American people." Selnick added, "and that's why we need Donald J Trump back as commander-in-chief, because under him, we had a thriving military."

Veterans 4 America First Institute's mission as listed on their website is "To preserve and expand our nation’s commitment to our Veterans, military, and their families through public education and advocacy."

Internet mocks 'Grandpa' Joe Biden for his fictional stories

Netizens mocked the US president for coming up with new fictional tales at almost every event.

One X (formerly Twitter) user poked fun at Biden, tweeting, "Grandpa has a lot of stories. And they are all complete fiction."

Another said, "Is there a single thing about him that isn’t a fraud?"

"Joe Biden tells too many lies," one user remarked.

Someone else penned, "Veterans have been on the Battle field. Corrupt Biden has NO idea what it's like."

"If he's talking about the toilet, then yeah," mocked one. 

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.