"Please Watch Your Mouth"…Warning Issued for Verbal Slip-Ups in US Presidential Race

Warning for Verbal Slip-Ups in US Presidential Election
Series of Verbal Slip-Ups Amid a Tense Competitive Landscape

[Asia Economy Reporter Naju-seok] A warning has been issued about verbal slips in the U.S. presidential election race. Both President Donald Trump and Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden have repeatedly made verbal missteps. Although Biden still maintains an advantage in the polls, the gap is gradually narrowing, indicating that even minor mistakes could determine the fate of the United States at any time.

President Trump has sparked controversy with precarious remarks day after day. On the 3rd (local time), Trump discussed problems with mail-in voting and urged voters to cast their ballots again in person even after voting by mail. He suggested attempting in-person voting to verify whether the mail-in vote was properly registered. This is an act that violates laws prohibiting double voting.

In response, the North Carolina State Board of Elections stated, "It is illegal to ask someone to vote twice." Even social networking service (SNS) companies such as Facebook and Twitter have pointed out the problem with this statement, banning the distribution of the video or attaching warning labels indicating that the information could cause confusion.

Earlier, on the 5th of last month, President Trump stirred controversy by emphasizing the need for children to return to school, stating that "(children) are almost immune to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19)." U.S. SNS companies judged this statement to be false information and banned its dissemination.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

In May of this year, President Trump was also criticized for suggesting during a White House COVID-19 task force briefing that ultraviolet light exposure and disinfectant injection be considered as treatments for COVID-19. After hearing an explanation from Bill Bryan, Director of the Science and Technology Directorate at the Department of Homeland Security, about the survival conditions of the COVID-19 virus, Trump said, "It seems untested what happens if you expose the body to a tremendous amount of ultraviolet light or very powerful light. Try it out." At the time, many posts mocking President Trump flooded social media, and he temporarily halted COVID-19 briefings.

Recent reports have also surfaced that he made derogatory remarks about World War I fallen soldiers, causing controversy. According to a report by the American current affairs magazine The Atlantic, during a visit to France in November 2018, Trump made the problematic remark when canceling a visit to a U.S. military cemetery for soldiers who died in World War I. When canceling the schedule, Trump reportedly called the fallen soldiers "losers." This insulted soldiers who lost their lives fighting for their country. When asked by reporters whether he would apologize, Trump called it "fake news" and said, "To me, they are complete heroes."

In response to Trump's remarks, Biden said, "How would people who sent their children to Afghanistan feel? Those who lost sons, daughters, husbands, or wives (on the battlefield)?" He added, "If the disgusting report is true, Trump should apologize to all military families."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Biden is also not free from verbal slips. On the 3rd, Biden visited Kenosha, Wisconsin, where anti-racism protests had intensified. Two days earlier, Trump had visited the area and sided only with the police, so Biden sought to differentiate himself but made a joke close to a slip of the tongue, drawing criticism. While introducing tax policies, he said, "I won’t go on and on. Otherwise, they’ll shoot me." Although it was a joke aimed at a bored audience, it was inappropriate in a region devastated by shootings.

The remark immediately became a target of attacks from conservative media as well as the Trump campaign.

Earlier, in May of this year, Biden apologized after saying, "If you have difficulty deciding who to support between President Trump and me, then you are not Black." After facing backlash questioning whether Black people should naturally support him, he explained, "I was insensitive" and "I have never taken Black votes for granted."

During his vice presidency, Biden’s repeated verbal slips also came under scrutiny. At the signing ceremony of the Affordable Care Act, considered one of former President Barack Obama’s greatest achievements, Biden caused controversy by whispering to Obama, "This is a big FXXXing deal," which was caught on broadcast. Conservative media criticized this as the vice president swearing at the president.

Recently, Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives and a Democrat, demanded the cancellation of the presidential TV debate against Biden. Pelosi explained it was because a proper debate with President Trump could not be expected, but some analysts suggested it might have been due to concerns over Biden’s verbal slips.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.