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President Biden Friday again made an exaggeration about the number of times he's been to the Middle East, as he gave a commencement speech to U.S. Naval Academy graduates in Maryland.
"I've been in and out of Iraq and Afghanistan of over 40 I think 38 times," the president said.
That number was incorrect, however. A spokesperson for Biden's National Security Council (NSC) said Friday the correct number of times Biden visited Iraq and Afghanistan is 21.
Biden made the Friday comment in the context of congratulating Naval Academy graduates of being, "members of the greatest fighting force in the history of the world." The president said that based on his visits to the Middle East, and his family's military service, he has firsthand knowledge of the quality of the U.S. armed forces.
"I've seen you in action, this is the finest military, not a joke, we have the finest military in the history of the world," Biden said.
Friday's statement was not the first time Biden's made a false claim about how often he's visited the Middle East. While running for president, Biden said at least once he'd been to Iraq and Afghanistan "over 30 times," according to the Washington Post.
As a presidential candidate, Biden also told at least one "moving but false" war story, according to the Washington Post, which...
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