A viral video of Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden apparently forgetting the words to the Pledge of Allegiance went viral on social media Tuesday. The video originated on Twitter, where it was shared by the GOP’s rapid response director:

Steve Guest @SteveGuest

Joe Biden completely botches the Pledge of Allegiance: "I pledge allegiance to the United States of America, one nation, indivisible, under God, for real."

September 21st 2020

14,691 Retweets28,553 Likes

It later gained traction on other social media platforms, with prominent right-wing figures like the Trump campaign, DineshD’Souza, and Gateway Pundit sharing the video excerpt. 

dineshjdsouza

Yikes...

September 22, 2020

However, the video does not show Biden attempting to recite the Pledge of Allegiance. Instead, the moment came in the middle of a speech in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, on Monday. Biden’s full comments read:

“I don’t pledge allegiance to red states of America or blue states of America. I pledge allegiance to the United States of America. One nation, indivisible, under God, for real. I’m running as a proud Democrat, but I’m not going to govern as a Democratic president, I’m going to govern as president.”

Within the full context of his speech, it’s apparent that Biden was making a rhetorical reference to the Pledge of Allegiance. He is not, however, stumbling over the words of the pledge as many have suggested. 

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