President Joe Biden is under fire over the language he used while extending his sympathy over the unexpected passing of a colleague to a White House guest.
During an event at the White House on Thursday, Biden took a little detour from his remarks to offer his condolences to the CEO of Jo-Ann Stores over the unexpected passing of the company’s chief financial officer.
But his remarks horrified some watchers who found his language quite insensitive.
“By the way, my sympathies to the family of your… CFO who dropped dead very unexpectedly,” Biden said. “My best to their family.”
He added, “That’s tough stuff.”
Watch the moment below:
Check out some of the comments below:
https://twitter.com/cameron_arcand/status/1537540085008240643
There is no doubt that Biden meant well, and having the leader of the free world pass along his sympathies for the passing of your colleague would hopefully be a meaningful moment for the person on the receiving end.
But using the phrase “dropped dead” instead of “passed away” or even “died” is not the best choice of words and, as many observers unfortunately noted, comes off as tone-deaf or insensitive.