President Joe Biden sparked controversy on Saturday night after referring to legendary rapper LL Cool J as a 'boy' during a speech at the Congressional Black Caucus in Washington DC. The 80-year-old president also mispronounced the rapper's name, calling him 'LL Jay Cool J' before correcting himself.
Biden was presenting Phoenix Awards to LL Cool J and MC Lyte for their musical contributions when the gaffe occurred. After stumbling over the name, he added: 'By the way that boy - that man's got biceps bigger than my thighs.' The comment was quickly criticised on social media, with many noting that referring to African American men as 'boy' is widely considered derogatory.
This is not the first time Biden has faced backlash for using the term. Earlier this year, he referred to Maryland's black governor Wes Moore as a 'boy' during a speech to electrical workers. In May, he told a Muslim attendee at a White House event to 'hush up, boy'. In 2019, he also sparked controversy by recalling that segregationist Senator James Eastland never called him 'boy', but 'son'.
The RNC Research account on X (formerly Twitter) shared footage of the latest incident, prompting condemnation from commentators. One user wrote: 'Ohhh god make it stop PLLEASE. He's making a total mockery of this country.' Biden's repeated use of the term has drawn criticism for insensitivity to racial dynamics.
