Biden used 'end of quote' after citing Eisenhower in farewell address | Fact check
The claim: Biden mistakenly said 'end of quote' during farewell address
A Jan. 15 Instagram post (direct link, archive link) includes footage of President Joe Biden's farewell address from the Oval Office. In the clip, Biden says, "The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power, end of quote."
Part of the post's caption says, "The details: During his farewell address, Joe Biden accidentally read the directions 'end of quote' off his teleprompter – a mistake the 82-year-old has made many times."The post garnered more than 4,000 likes in a day. Other versions of the claim were shared on Facebook and X.
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Our rating: False
Biden didn't say "end of quote" by accident. During his address, he read a quote by former President Dwight D. Eisenhower before switching back to his own words. Biden routinely says "end of quote" when he's finished quoting other people.
Biden's 'end of quote' isn't a gaffe
Biden marked his departure from the White House in a 13-minute farewell address on Jan. 15, days before President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration ceremony. Some social media users fixated on the point in Biden's remarks when he said, "end of quote," claiming the president had misspoken.
But that was not the case.
The White House's official transcript and the full address footage show the president was quoting former President Dwight D. Eisenhower when he made the comment. He began the quote by saying, "And I quote."
Biden states, "You know, his farewell address, President Eisenhower spoke of the dangers of the military-industrial complex. He warned us then about, and I quote, 'the potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power,' end of quote."
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Biden has regularly used the phrase "end of quote" throughout his presidency when he is finished citing other people. For example, he used the wording after citing a proposal related to the ongoing Israel-Hamas war on May 31, 2024, and after quoting Benjamin Franklin during an April 13, 2023, address in Ireland.
Paste BN previously debunked claims that the president mistakenly said "end of quote" during his July 2024 remarks on the Supreme Court's presidential immunity ruling and during a 2021 speech about the economy. In both cases, Biden had just finished citing other people and was not accidentally reading teleprompter cues.
Though it wasn't the case this time, the president has mistakenly read teleprompter instructions before. During a speech at the 2024 North America's Building Trades Unions conference, he appeared to accidentally read a speech cue to "pause."
Paste BN reached out to the user who shared the post for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
Lead Stories also debunked the claim.
Our fact-check sources
- Paste BN, July 3, 2024, Biden saying 'end of quote' in SCOTUS remarks wasn't flub | Fact check
- Paste BN, Dec. 6, 2021, Fact check: Biden was quoting Walmart US CEO when he said 'end of quote' during speech
- White House (YouTube), Jan. 15, President Biden Delivers a Farewell Address to the Nation
- White House, Jan. 15, Remarks by President Biden in a Farewell Address to the Nation
- White House, May 31, 2024, Remarks by President Biden on the Middle East
- White House, April 13, 2023, Remarks by President Biden to the Houses of the Oireachtas
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