Emily Brown
US President Joe Biden left people confused and annoyed after he ended a speech with the words "God Save the Queen".
I probably don't need to remind you, since it was a pretty big story at the time, that the Queen passed away in September 2022.
Her son, Charles, then took the throne and became King Charles III, meaning the title of the National Anthem, previously named 'God Save The Queen', was officially changed to 'God Save The King'.
Biden was actually among the few people in the world who had permission to attend the Queen's funeral, so his statement in the speech begs the question: Did he somehow manage to forget about her death?
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That seems to be the theory among some internet users after the apparent blunder unfolded on Friday (16 June), when Biden spoke at the National Safer Communities Summit for gun control reform in Connecticut.
His speech was easy to understand for the most part, as he expressed his dismay for the fact there is gun violence 'every damn day in America', and said that he understood the public's frustrations.
"A lot of you are tired. You're tired. No, I get it. Try being 110 and doing it again," he said.
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"Whether you're Democrat or Republic we all want families to be safe. We all want to drop them off at a house of worship, a mall, a movie, a school door without worrying that's the last time we're ever see them."
Biden received support for his words, but he then lost people with his closing remarks: "God Save the Queen, man."
Even those more familiar with the president's moves were left baffled, as Todd Gillman, the White House correspondent for The Dallas Morning News, said reporters in the room were just as confused as the rest of the audience.
“Several of you have asked me why he might have said that,” Gillman said afterwards. “I have no idea. Other pooler likewise have no idea.”
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One listener accused the president of having 'lost his marbles' after the speech, while another branded the comment as 'disturbing' and 'embarrassing'.
However, some of Biden's supporters have stuck up for the president and argued that the comment is one he's made before, suggesting it's just a phrase he's come to use.
Another attempted to add more context to the comment, noting that shortly before saying 'God Save the Queen', Biden had said 'God Bless everyone' and 'God Bless our troops'.
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Towards the end of his speech, Biden told the crowd that he would usually stick around to shake hands, but that he had to leave due to an incoming storm.
As per the Independent, the White House press office later clarified Biden's remarks, saying: "He couldn’t do the full ropeline due to weather, and was commenting to someone in the crowd."