Tipsheet

Confused Joe Biden Doesn't Think Tornadoes Are Called Tornadoes Anymore

Spencer Brown
Spencer Brown  |  September 07, 2021 3:30 PM

As President Biden surveyed the damage done by the remnants of Hurricane Ida in New Jersey and New York on Tuesday, he received a briefing from New Jersey officials on the progress they've made and areas in which they need federal assistance. 

In the course of this televised discussion, President Biden found himself talking about severe weather and meteorological nomenclature and it didn't go well:

"It's all across the country, you know, the members of Congress know from their colleagues in Congress that uh, you know, it looks like a tornado, they don't call 'em that anymore, that hit the crops and wetlands in the middle of the country in Iowa and Nevada and I mean, it's just across the board. And uh, you know um, as I said, we're in this together." 

While it's unclear exactly what the President was trying to say, it seems he is confusing a derecho that swept across the city of Nevada, Iowa in August of 2020 with not-tornado tornadoes that struck the states of Nevada and Iowa. Surely, the President knows that Nevada is not in the middle of the country, right?

In any case, to clear things up: Tornadoes are still tornadoes and Derechos are still Derechos. Nevada is not in the middle of the country, but Nevada, Iowa is. 

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Predictably, Biden's gaffe drew a quick reaction from meteorologists and residents in the states Biden mentioned as reporters and members of Congress piled on.