Joe Biden Continues Gaffe-Filled Week by Getting LL Cool J's Name Wrong

President Joe Biden continued his latest string of gaffes by misstating rapper LL Cool J's name during a speech at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation's annual Legislative Conference on Saturday.

Biden delivered remarks at the foundation's Phoenix Awards dinner where he honored the recipients of this year's awards that "recognizes individuals who have made significant contributions to society." One of the recipients was LL Cool J, which the president misstated during his speech, later drawing criticism from social media.

"Representing the groundbreaking legacy of hip hop in America, LL J Cool J," Biden said, drawing laughter from the audience. "By the way, that boy's got—that man's got biceps bigger than my thighs."

The latest mistake comes as Republicans seek to draw attention to Biden's gaffes, saying that he may not have the mental ability to serve another four-year term if reelected next year. A recent CBS/YouGov poll found only 34 percent of American voters think Biden will serve a full second term if reelected, versus 55 percent for Donald Trump, the current Republican frontrunner. Others, however, say Biden remains fit to serve, pointing out that Trump also has a history of making gaffes.

The president's gaffe drew a response on social media, with some critics also taking issue with his use of the term "boy."

"If any Republican said this, there would be an eruption of outrage from the media that would be ongoing. And everyone knows it. But they'll just let Biden slide on this, like they've done for all the other racist things he's said over the decades," Trump's ex-communications director Tim Murtaugh wrote on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, on Sunday.

"Joe Biden calls LL Cool J 'boy' . I think his mind is stuck in the 60s," wrote X user Malachi Maxey.

Others, however, came to the president's defense.

"In a sane world, he'd be a nice old man referring to a man much younger than he is as a boy, and it would all be endearing, and LL Cool J would be flattered to be addressed so familiarly by a respectable old man. Unfortunately, we live in a world where the president is old," wrote X user Jay Buffalkill.

Newsweek reached out to the White House for comment via email.

The latest instance of Biden misspeaking follows a series of gaffes in recent days.

Biden, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and International Labor Organization Director-General Gilbert Houngbo delivered remarks during a press conference on Wednesday. After the speech, Biden and Houngbo shook hands, but Biden then walked off the stage without shaking da Silva's hand.

On Thursday, Biden appeared to misspeak during an address at the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute's 46th annual gala. He paid tribute to Sister Norma Pimentel, executive director of Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley, who was given an award just before his speech.

"I know Sister Norma lives the lessons nuns taught me growing up. Lessons based on the Gospel of Matthew: feed the hungry, care for the sick, welcome strangers. They echo what my dad taught me, and I mean this sincerely, my dad used to say, 'Everyone, everyone is entitled to be treated with dignity and respect," Biden said, adding that "the Congressional Black Caucus embodies all those values."

On Friday, Biden said he has "been to every mass shooting" in the United States during a speech announcing the launch of the White House's Office of Gun Violence Prevention.

"Created by executive order, I am determined to send a clear message about how important this issue is to me and to the country. It matters, and here is why," he said during his remarks. "After every mass shooting, we hear a simple message—the same message all over the country. I've been to every mass shooting, 'Do something, please do something.'"