President Biden repeated a declare that he turned down an appointment to the Naval Academy, the place he stated he meant to play soccer, throughout his graduation speech at West Level on Saturday.
Biden, 81, informed the graduates that he was “one in every of 10” appointed to the naval academy by Republican Delaware Sen. J. Caleb Boggs years earlier than he’d go on to defeat him within the 1972 election to turn into a US Senator.
“I used to be appointed by the fella I ran towards once I was 29 years outdated to the Naval Academy. I used to be one in every of 10. I wished to play soccer,” Biden stated in his remarks.
“And I’d came upon two days earlier they’d a quarterback named Roger Staubach and a halfback named Joe Bellino — I stated, ‘I’m not going there.’ I went to Delaware. Not a joke,’ the president stated.
Biden beforehand informed the identical story to graduating midshipmen in 2022, the place he stated he had been accepted to the army establishment in 1965 however declined to attend.
He didn’t give a date in Saturday’s model of the story.
Bellino and Staubach are the one two Navy soccer gamers to win the Heisman Trophy. Staubach, additionally an NFL Corridor of Famer, performed his first recreation for Navy in 1962 and graduated in 1964. Bellino performed his final recreation in January 1961 — 4 years earlier than he was fascinated by attending the Naval Academy.
Biden was a standout highschool soccer participant at Archmere Academy in Claymont, Delaware, the place he graduated in 1961. He graduated from the College of Delaware in 1965. He reportedly performed soccer his freshman yr however didn’t end the season.
RNC Analysis, an X account operated by the Republican Nationwide Committee’s fast response group, known as out Biden’s doubtful story.
“He has repeated this lie many occasions earlier than and there’s nonetheless no file any of it ever occurred,” the RNC posted.
Biden’s 2008 autobiography “Guarantees to Maintain” notably doesn’t point out the Naval Academy.
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