A tornado devastated parts of Mississippi and Alabama this past week, with the Associated Press reporting that over two dozen people were killed.
While President Joe Biden later visited the area and pledged to support the survivors, his words left many Americans shaking their heads.
According to Fox News, Rolling Fork, Mississippi was among the communities that were hardest hit, and Biden made a stop there on Friday alongside First Lady Jill Biden.
Yet during his speech, the president referred to Rolling Fork as "Rolling Stone," saying, "I'm making sure you got a place to sleep, food to eat, helping you rebuild your lives in Rolling Stone."
"We're not just here for today, I'm determined that we're going to leave nothing behind. We're going to get it done for you," Biden stressed.
The president went on to repeat his mistake later on in the speech, declaring, "The town of Rolling Stone will be back, and we'll be with you every step of the way."
Joe Biden, while in Rolling Fork:
"The town of Rolling Stone will be back" pic.twitter.com/BmEmBxZZWz
— TheBlaze (@theblaze) March 31, 2023
Fox News noted that Biden subsequently realized the error, stating, "What did I say, I said Rolling Fork," Biden stumbled. "Rolling Stone. I got my mind going here."
Biden's comments came days after Mississippi Democratic Rep. Bennie Thompson used the tragedy in an attempt to score political points.
Thompson pointed out to CNN host Jim Acosta that Rolling Fork's local hospital was out of commission due to it not having backup generators.
The Democratic lawmaker went on to blame the situation on Republican Gov. Tate Reeves not having supported Medicaid expansion.
Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS) tells @Acosta that the only hospital in Rolling Fork, MS has been devastated by a tornado and the injured have to be transported 50 miles. Thompson added the governor has turned down Medicaid expansion dollars that could have kept the hospital running. pic.twitter.com/846ccDGSFc
— Sarah Reese Jones (@PoliticusSarah) March 25, 2023
"Our only hospital in this community is offline right now, so we're having to transport [the] injured over 50 miles away to the nearest hospital," Thompson said.
"So maybe I can get my governor here in Mississippi to accept the Medicaid expansion dollars that could have gotten us the proper emergency generation for our hospital in Rolling Fork so that we wouldn't be offline," he insisted.
