President Biden shared a weirdly intimate story Tuesday about a nurse "whispering" on him as he recovered from two brain aneurysms in the 1980s.
The 80-year-old Biden told a crowd in Virgnia Beach about a nurse named Pearl Nelson who would "come in and do things I don't think you learn in nursing school," eliciting laughter from the crowd.
The nurse would "whisper in my ear" and "breathe on me," Biden said, to build a "human connection."
"She'd whisper in my ear, I couldn't understand, but she'd whisper and she'd lean down. And actually breathe on me to make sure there was a connection, a human connection," he described.
The nurse "went home and brought back her pillow from her own bed," Biden said, adding, "I'm not joking."
Many Twitter users were amused when a clip of Biden's tale was slapped with a "community notes" label confirming that Biden's comments were authentic.
WHOA JOE!
"I had a nurse named Pearl... She'd come in and do things I don't think you learn in nursing school... She'd whisper in my ear... She’d lean down and breathe on me... She went home and got the pillow from her own bed... I’m not joking...” pic.twitter.com/KyvePVLb8R
— The First (@TheFirstonTV) February 28, 2023
While Biden clearly felt he was telling a wholesome story, many found the tale strange and uncomfortable.
It's certainly not the first time Biden's behavior has raised eyebrows.
The president has long drawn attention with his "touchy-feely" manner, unsettling comments to young girls, peculiar habit of whispering and fanciful, sometimes disconcerting yarns, like a story about children rubbing his leg hair at a swimming pool.
Biden infamously called out for a deceased Republican lawmaker last year, and his stiff gait and balance issues have only added to speculation about his fitness.
Biden isn't getting any younger, but Democrats appear to have decided he is their best shot at holding the White House in 2024 -- and his wife has all but confirmed he's ready to throw his hat in the ring.
“He says he’s not done. He’s not finished what he’s started. And that’s what’s important,” Jill Biden said.
It looks like America will be listening to many more of Joe Biden's stories.
