Biden’s bridge commute statement included ‘or car’ (2024)

President Joe Biden came under criticism following his remarks about the collapse of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge.

"#BREAKING," read a screenshot of an X post shared on Facebook on March 26. "Joe Biden says he’s commuted over the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore many times via train. The problem is that the bridge features no train tracks."

Some news coverage also focused on Biden’s comments about taking trains. And former President Donald Trump’s campaign cited it as evidence that "Biden (confused — again) claims to have gone over the Francis Scott Key Bridge by train ‘many times.’"

Before it collapsed, the four-lane bridge spanned 1.6 miles — and, no, the bridge does not have train tracks.

But these social media posts did not present Biden’s full statement that allowed for some ambiguity; he mentioned commuting by car.

Here’s what he said March 26 at the White House: "At about 1:30, a container ship struck the Francis Scott Key Bridge, which I’ve been over many, many times commuting from the state of Delaware either on a train or by car."

The White House clarified Biden’s comments to the New York Post, which ran a story headlined: "Biden claims he commuted over collapsed Baltimore Key Bridge by train’ many times’ — but it doesn’t have any rail lines."

"The President is clearly describing driving over the bridge while commuting between Delaware and (Washington) D.C. during his 36-year Senate career," the New York Post quoted White House spokesperson Robyn Patterson saying in a statement.

Biden has a long history of commuting to the capital.

On the White House website, a section recounting the president’s history says that after he was sworn into the U.S. Senate, he "began commuting from Wilmington to Washington every day, first by car, and then by train, in order to be with his family. He would continue to do so throughout his time in the Senate."

In 2023, The Associated Press called him "arguably the nation’s biggest Amtrak fan."

PBS NewsHour said in 2021 that, as a senator, Biden "was a fixture on Amtrak trains between his home in Wilmington, Delaware, and Washington, D.C., when the Senate was in session. He continued riding Amtrak as vice president. He has sometimes been referred to as ‘Amtrak Joe.’"

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  Instagram posts

  stated on March 26, 2024 in an Instagram reel:

  Footage shows explosion on Baltimore bridge.

  

  

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  J.D. Vance

  stated on March 14, 2024 in an interview with Fox News:

  Says “100% of net job creation under the Biden administration has gone to the foreign-born.”

  

  

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  Facebook posts

  stated on March 25, 2024 in una publicación en Facebook:

  "El logo del canal de cable de niños Nickelodeon es la Isla pedofila de Epstein”.

  

  

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  Instagram posts

  stated on March 26, 2024 in an Instagram post:

  Mitch McConnell’s sister-in-law who drowned in a Tesla “is listed as the CEO of the company that owns the ship that hit” Baltimore bridge.

  

  

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  Instagram posts

  stated on March 20, 2024 in an Instagram post:

  Tennessee bill that would ban the release of chemicals into the atmosphere is evidence chemtrails are real.

  

  

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  Facebook posts

  stated on March 23, 2024 in a video:

  “Biden signs an executive order to terminate Social Security, SSI, bans side hustle.”

  

  

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  Kathy Hochul

  stated on February 22, 2024 in an interview:

  In New York, there are no barriers to law enforcement to work with the federal government on immigration laws, and there are 100 crimes where migrants can be handed over.

  

  

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  Andrew Tate

  stated on March 26, 2024 in an X post:

  The ship that struck a Baltimore bridge “was cyber-attacked.”

  

  

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  Nicole Shanahan

  stated on March 26, 2024 in her vice presidential announcement speech:

  If elected, “I will be the youngest vice president in American history.”

  

  

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  Facebook posts

  stated on March 20, 2024 in una publicación en Facebook:

  "Walmart está regalando los portátiles Dell del año pasado a todos los mayores de 35 años en EEUU para deshacerse del exceso de inventario y despejar el stock para los nuevos modelos".