Biden draws criticism as he repeats false claim that son Beau died in Iraq: 'Continued mangling of the truth'

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Biden says son Beau 'lost his life in Iraq' during Colorado speech

President Biden previously claimed that his son, Beau, "lost his life in Iraq" during a speech in Colorado in October.

President Joe Biden told Marines during a stop in Japan that his son Beau died in Iraq, according to a video obtained by the New York Post. 

"My son was a major in the U.S. Army. We lost him in Iraq," the 80-year-old president said during an exchange with troops at Marine Corps Air Station in Iwakuni, Japan, on Thursday. The president visited Japan this month for the G-7 Leaders' summit. 

Biden’s son, Beau, died of brain cancer in 2015 at the Walter Reed military hospital in Bethesda, Maryland. The president himself has said on different occasions that Beau’s death from cancer was caused by "burn pits" in Iraq, a subject on which he signed legislation in 2022. 

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The president also drew attention at the G-7 summit in Japan when he told a reporter at the conference to "shush up" when asked about the debt ceiling debate in Congress. (Ting Shen/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

"The President talks, as the families of many veterans do, about losing Beau in Iraq because his brain cancer was likely caused by prolonged exposure to burn bits while serving in Iraq," White House spokesperson Robyn Patterson said in a statement to Fox News Digital. 

Biden is drawing criticism from media online, with even liberal outlet Daily Beast writing that the president has "puzzlingly" made similar statements about Beau "several times in the past" in a story published Monday. 

Contributing editor at The Spectator, Stephen L. Miller, pointed out that Biden — the oldest serving president in history — is running for re-election in 2024. 

"It's just a stutter. He's fine. Running for re-election."

Another story from a RedState contributor argued that Beau's death, which "certainly must have been traumatic for Biden," still does not "excuse Joe’s continued mangling of the truth."

The president also drew attention at the G-7 summit in Japan when he told a reporter at the conference to "shush up" when asked about the debt ceiling debate in Congress. 

That was one of a few awkward moments that Biden experienced during his time in Japan, also calling South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, whom he has met before, "Loon" and using the wrong title for Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, calling him "president." 

Biden made the same false claim about his Beau in 2022, telling a crowd in Colorado that his son "lost his life in Iraq."

"I say this as a father of a man who won the Bronze Star, the Conspicuous Service Medal, and lost his life in Iraq," Biden said during a speech near Vail, Colorado, where he designated Camp Hale as a national monument.

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Biden also referenced his son in a 2019 speech: "[Because] of exposure to burn pits, in my view — I can’t prove it yet — he came back with stage four glioblastoma. Eighteen months he lived, knowing he was going to die."  (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images)

Biden also referenced his son in a 2019 speech: "[Because] of exposure to burn pits, in my view — I can’t prove it yet — he came back with stage four glioblastoma. Eighteen months he lived, knowing he was going to die." 

Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House for clarification on Biden’s comment. 

After Biden's Japan trip, he faces another battle in Congress with Republicans over the debt ceiling. He has taken flack for claiming that he would use the 14th Amendment to avoid making a deal with House GOP members over the debt ceiling.

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This article was updated with a response from the White House.

Fox News’ Adam Sabes and Gabriel Hays contributed to this report.