Biden Calls Protesters 'Idiots' Over 'Socialism' Signs at Illinois School (November 5, 2022)

President Joe Biden took a shot at the protesters lining the road outside an Illinois elementary school three days before the 2022 midterms. “I love those signs when I came in,” he told the crowd inside. “Socialism. Give me a break. What idiots.”

The video above shows the moment at Jones Elementary School in Joliet, Illinois, on Saturday, Nov. 5, 2022, where Biden spoke for about 24 minutes in the school gym. Quotes from the speech are HYGO News’ transcription of the video, checked against the White House press pool’s report and news accounts of the event [1][2][3].

The Signs Outside

The protesters were hard to miss. “There were dozens of protesters standing beside the road to the elementary school,” the White House press pool reported. Their flags and signs included “Baby killer,” “socialism sucks” and “Lets go Brandon,” along with a cruder message about the president. One sign read “where’s Nancy” [1], words allegedly spoken during the hammer attack on Paul Pelosi, the husband of then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Fox News noted [2]. Others read “Vote Pro-Life” [2].

They were still there when Biden left. A house on the street had sheets draped over the fence with “Tyrant” painted on them, the pool reported [1].

”What Idiots”

Biden made the remark while defending Social Security and Medicare as a “promise” to generations of Americans, according to Fox News [2]. In the clip, he goes on from “What idiots” to repeat the word “Socialism” before moving on.

The pool report’s highlights captured the rest of his pitch: “Folks I’m coming to Illinois to talk about two programs that reflect who we are as Americans,” he said, calling Social Security “a rock solid guarantee, and an ironclad commitment” [1]. He warned that Republicans wanted a “repeal of the Affordable Care Act” and were “also coming for your Social Security and Medicare,” taking his usual shots at Sens. Rick Scott of Florida and Ron Johnson of Wisconsin [1].

Fox News reported that Biden was “repeating claims that fact-checkers have debunked about how they supposedly want to eliminate those long-standing entitlement programs” [2].

A Rescue Mission for Lauren Underwood

The White House billed the stop as an official event on lowering drug costs, but it doubled as a last-minute boost for Rep. Lauren Underwood, D-Ill., who was seeking a third term in the closely watched 14th District [3]. She had won the seat in 2020 with just over 50% of the vote, and faced Kendall County Board President Scott Gryder, the county’s GOP chairman [3].

The race was moving the wrong way for Democrats. That week, the Cook Political Report shifted Illinois’ 14th District toward the Republican column, Fox News reported [2].

The warm-up had its own stumble: Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., was “mistakenly introduced as ‘Timothy’ Duckworth,” the pool noted [1]. On his way out, Biden told the crowd he couldn’t stay to greet more people because he didn’t want to be late for John Fetterman, whom he called a “big boy” [1]. He flew to Philadelphia that afternoon for a political rally [1].

Republicans Fire Back

The Illinois Republican Party called on Underwood to disavow Biden’s comment, accusing the president of lashing out at his critics, ABC7 Chicago reported [3].

For conservatives, the line fit a pattern. Biden spent the closing days of the campaign casting his opponents as “MAGA Republicans” [7], and in Joliet, the people he called “idiots” were protesters standing along a public road with signs.

By the Numbers

About 200: the crowd inside the gym, according to ABC7 Chicago [3].
24 minutes: Biden began speaking at 10:58 a.m. and finished at 11:22 a.m., the pool reported [1].
128,141 to 108,451: Underwood’s official margin over Gryder, about 54.2% to 45.8% [4].
222-213: the Republican House majority that took over in January 2023 [5].

What Happened Next

Underwood held on. She beat Gryder by nearly 20,000 votes [4].

Republicans took the House anyway. The GOP won a 222-213 majority in the 118th Congress [5].

Two years later, another insult. In the final week of the 2024 campaign, Biden drew a fresh backlash after a comedian at Donald Trump’s Madison Square Garden rally called Puerto Rico a “floating island of garbage.” On a call with the group Voto Latino, Biden said, “The only garbage I see floating out there is his supporter’s — his — his demonization of Latinos is unconscionable and it’s un-American,” according to a White House transcript [6]. Trump and other Republicans accused him of calling their supporters garbage; the White House transcript rendered the word with an apostrophe, “supporter’s.” Biden then posted that he had been referring to “the hateful rhetoric about Puerto Rico spewed by Trump’s supporter” at the rally: “That’s all I meant to say” [6].

For Biden’s remarks later that same day, see his Philadelphia rally with Obama, where he flubbed a line about Fetterman.