Biden on Harris: 'Isn't She Doing an Incredible Job? Not a Joke' and 'I Ain't One of the Pips' (October 1, 2022)

President Joe Biden opened his speech at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s Phoenix Awards dinner by praising the woman who introduced him. “Thank you, Kamala, for that introduction and, even more importantly, for your partnership, because it is a partnership. Isn’t she doing an incredible job? Not a joke,” Biden said on Oct. 1, 2022, according to the official transcript published by the American Presidency Project [1].

Then he joked about the night’s entertainer. “You know, though, I know you’re really here to see Gladys Knight. [ Laughter ] I ain’t one of the Pips. [ Laughter ]” [1]

The video above shows Biden’s remarks at the dinner on Oct. 1, 2022. Quotes are from the American Presidency Project, the Supreme Court, the National Archives and the Treasury Department [1][2][3][4].

”Not Only the First Black Vice President”

Biden stumbled while celebrating Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, whose investiture had been the day before. “I told you all I was going to appoint a Black woman to the Supreme Court, and we did. The first—not only the first Black Vice President, but the first member of the—Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States of America,” he said [1].

Then he used a line he would use again. “Look, I know by now no one ever doubts that I mean what I say. The problem is, I sometimes say all that I mean. [ Laughter ]” [1]

Five White House Corrections

The official transcript marks five fixes with asterisks [1]:

Biden thanked “Jim, the Minority [Majority]* Whip.”
He said the CBC had helped confirm “more Black women appellate justices [Federal judges]* than every other President in history combined.”
He said student loan forgiveness “provides significant belief [relief].*”
He called Juneteenth “the first [new]* Federal holiday in 30 years.”
He described “use-of-force police [policies]*."

"Give Me a Break”

Biden went after Republicans on spending. “We’re doing all of this while reducing the deficit: last year, $350 billion, and this year by $1 trillion. I’m so sick of Republicans saying we’re the ‘big spenders.’ Give me a break. Give me a break,” he said [1].

Then he touted his student loan plan. “We can afford to cancel $10,000 in student debt and 20,000 bucks if you had a Pell grant, for Americans making under 125 grand,” Biden said [1].

He also took a shot at critics in Congress: “And I don’t want to hear a word from those Members of Congress, if you notice, whose families got tens of thousands of dollars and several million dollars in pandemic relief loan forgiveness. The same ones criticizing. Give me a break.” [1]

Still a Deficit

A smaller deficit still adds to the debt. Treasury data shows total public debt outstanding rose from $28.43 trillion on Sept. 30, 2021, to $30.93 trillion on Sept. 30, 2022, the day before the speech, an increase of nearly $2.5 trillion [4].

”Period. Period. Period. Period.”

On guns, Biden repeated a vow. “I’ll say it again: I’m not going to stop until I again get an assault weapons ban passed. Period. Period. Period. Period,” he said [1].

On federal contracts, he said: “I get to spend $600 billion a year. And I made a decision that it all going to be made and worked for in America.” [1]

He also joked about “Infrastructure Week”: “Together, we turned ‘Infrastructure Week’ from a punchline into ‘Infrastructure Decade’ as a headline.” [1]

On drug prices, he said: “Folks, if you’re on Medicare and you have diabetes, your insulin is going to be capped at $35 a month, not 35 times $35 a month.” [1]

Harris, introducing him, had her own line on college funding. “With the CBC, we invested an historic $5.8 billion—that’s ‘b’ with a—‘b’—billion dollars—in our HBCUs,” she said [1].

”Oh, Not Joking”

On historically Black colleges, Biden said: “I didn’t go to one, but one got me elected: Delaware State University. Oh, not joking.” [1]

On the hurricane damage, he said, “we owe Puerto Rico a hell of a lot more than they’ve already gotten.” [1]

By the Numbers

5: corrections marked in the official transcript [1].
$10,000: the student debt Biden said he would cancel, or $20,000 with a Pell grant [1].
$430 billion: the federal student loan balances the plan canceled, per the Supreme Court [2].
6-3: the Supreme Court’s vote against the plan [2].
Nearly $2.5 trillion: the rise in the national debt in the year before the speech, per Treasury [4].

What Happened Next

The Supreme Court struck down the plan. On June 30, 2023, in Biden v. Nebraska, Chief Justice John Roberts wrote for the Court: “The Secretary’s plan canceled roughly $430 billion of federal student loan balances, completely erasing the debts of 20 million borrowers.” Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett joined him. Justice Elena Kagan dissented, joined by Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Ketanji Brown Jackson [2].

The “incredible job” ended in defeat. Harris lost the 2024 election to Donald Trump. The National Archives lists the result as “Electoral Vote Winner: 312 Main Opponent: 226.” [3]

For the student loan ruling, see HYGO News’ page on the decision. For Biden’s “say all that I mean” line at the Grand Canyon, see the page on Aug. 8, 2023.