President Joe Biden mixed up Pennsylvania Democrats John Fetterman and Josh Shapiro during a Tuesday rally in which he urged attendees to vote for both candidates.
“Folks, do me a favor. Presumptuous of me to say that, but think about doing me a favor,” Biden told the crowd at Wilkes University in Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania. “Please, please elect the Attorney General to the Senate. Elect that big ol’ boy to be governor.”
Although Biden intended to endorse Shapiro, the state attorney general, and Fetterman, the lieutenant governor, for governor and senator respectively, he appeared to transpose the two offices. Fetterman stands at 6 feet 9 inches tall and weighed 270 pounds as recently as 2018. If elected, he would become the tallest senator and second-tallest congressman in U.S. history.
Shapiro leads state Sen. Doug Mastriano by six points in the RealClearPolitics average, while Fetterman leads Dr. Mehmet Oz by eight.
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Although Shapiro attended the rally, Fetterman became the latest swing-state Democratic nominee to avoid appearing with Biden. Ohio Senate nominee Tim Ryan, Nevada Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, and Georgia gubernatorial nominee Stacey Abrams have all prominently snubbed Biden. (RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto Runs Away From Questions About Biden Campaigning)
During the speech, ostensibly about gun control and violent crime, Biden renewed his call for an “assault weapons” ban while repeating several falsehoods about the Second Amendment. He also claimed that Americans do not need semi-automatic rifles, and would require F-15 fighter jets to successfully combat the military in a rebellion.
“And for those brave right wing Americans who say it’s all about keeping Americans independent and safe, if you want to fight against the country you need an F-15. You need something a little more than a gun,” the president said.