President Joe Biden Appears to Imply Retired U.S. Representative Gabby Giffords Is Dead in Odd Speech

President Joe Biden sparked confusion when he seemingly implied retired U.S. representative Gabby Giffords was dead while speaking in Arizona on Friday, October 25.

The odd remarks occurred shortly after Governor Stephen Lewis of the Gila River Indian Community welcomed Biden on stage.

"I’m Joe Biden, Jill Biden’s husband. Governor, thank you for the introduction and to the Gila River Indian Community for welcoming me today," he said. "You know, I say this with all sincerity. This, to me, is one of the most consequential things I’ve ever had the opportunity to do in my career as President of the United States."

"It is an honor, a genuine honor to be in this special place on this special day," he added. "Thank you to Senator Mark Kelly, a great friend who also was married to an incredible woman [Giffords] who was my friend."

While the former Arizona politician was one of the victims in a 2011 mass shooting that took place in Tucson, she survived the tragic event and chose to resign from her position at the House of Representatives as she recovered.

The 54-year-old is still alive and is currently married to Senator Kelly — who has served as a junior U.S. senator for Arizona since 2020. They tied the knot in 2007.

As the clip from Biden's speech made rounds on social media, critics mocked the POTUS for seemingly implying Giffords had passed away — especially since he's made public appearances alongside Giffords as recently as September.

One user on X wrote, "Biden’s brain is MUSH," and another critic added Giffords was "still alive and well, which Biden doesn’t seem to be."

A third person suggested, "Maybe he heard that Gabby Hayes died or Jack Gifford."

Newsmax Host Todd Starnes posted, "President Biden eulogized former Arizona Rep. Gabby Giffords today. It was very moving, touching. There's just one problem. Giffords is still alive."

As OK! previously reported, Biden sparked similar concerns for the state of his cognitive health in September 2022 when he asked to speak with deceased politician Jackie Walorski, who had died in a car accident only weeks before.

"I want to thank all of you here, including bipartisan elected officials like Representative [Jim] McGovern, Senator [Mike] Braun, Senator [Cory] Booker, Representative Jackie — are you here? Where’s Jackie? — I think she was going to be here," Biden said, scanning the crowd. "She must not be here."