Biden to the Mayors: 'A Little Frog in My Throat,' 'TSC—TMSC' and 'I Forgot It' (January 20, 2023)

President Joe Biden marked two years in office with a speech to the nation’s mayors, and he started by clearing his throat. “Look, Mayor Suarez, thank you for your leadership at the conference. [ At this point, the President cleared his throat. ] Excuse me, I’ve got a little frog in my throat,” Biden said on Jan. 20, 2023 [1].

“Today—today—is 2 years since I was sworn in as President. [ Applause ]” he told the U.S. Conference of Mayors at the White House, according to the official transcript published by the American Presidency Project [1].

The video above shows Biden’s remarks to the U.S. Conference of Mayors on Jan. 20, 2023. Quotes are from the American Presidency Project [1][2].

”TSC—TMSC [TSMC; White House Correction]”

Biden bragged about a chip plant he had visited in December and got the company’s name wrong twice. “I was with her last month to announce a small investment: $40 billion—[ laughter ]—$40 billion invested by TSC—TMSC [TSMC; White House correction], the two semiconductor factories and thousands of union workers helping to build them,” Biden said of Phoenix’s mayor. The bracketed fix is in the official transcript [1].

He then corrected himself on Intel’s Ohio site. “It’s a hundred acres, but they’re investing $20 billion to expand semiconductor manufacturing. I said a hundred—a thousand acres,” Biden said [1].

”Married Way Above Our Station”

He joked with Miami Mayor Francis Suarez. “And by the way, Suarez, you and I have something else in common. Do you know what it is? We both married way above our station. [ Laughter ]” Biden said [1].

He also explained why he left local government. “And then I ran for the U.S. Senate because serving as a local official was too hard. [ Laughter ] They know where you live—[ laughter ]—and knock on your door,” he said [1].

He told a story about California’s governor. “Started off—the Governor looked at me, and he said, ‘Mr. President, we used to be the fifth largest economy in the world, and now we’re the fourth’—and that’s true—‘in the world.’ I’ll tell you what,” Biden said. “So I genuflected, and we moved on. [ Laughter ] I said, ‘That means you don’t need that $10 billion we just gave you, right?’ [ Laughter ]” Biden said [1].

He teased his former mayors in the Cabinet. Of Mitch Landrieu of New Orleans, he said: “And he—that’s like being mayor of a country. [ Laughter ]” Of Atlanta’s Keisha Lance Bottoms: “I said it was harder being mayor of Atlanta than being President, but I don’t know. [ Laughter ] I’m—I’m only—only kidding.” [1]

“I Visited the Border Earlier This Month”

Biden touched on immigration. “I visited the border earlier this month, the first time as President. I’ve been there before, but for the first time as President,” he said [1].

Twelve days earlier in El Paso, Texas, during what the official record calls “a tour of the border wall between El Paso, TX, and Juarez, Mexico,” a reporter asked what he had learned. “They need a lot of resources, and we’re going to get it for them,” Biden said. Asked about a letter Texas Gov. Greg Abbott had handed him, he said: “I didn’t get a chance to read it yet. I haven’t read it yet.” Asked about the attack on government buildings in Brazil, he said: “It’s outrageous.” [2]

At the mayors’ meeting, he blamed Congress for the rest. “The first bill I introduced was a comprehensive reform legislation on immigration. But because of some in the Congress, they refused to consider it. They found it a better issue to campaign on than an issue to solve,” Biden said [1].

On fentanyl, he paused to find a figure. “We’ve confiscated throughout—I think it’s—let me get the number here. I don’t want to get it wrong. We’ve confiscated 379 million doses of fentanyl,” Biden said [1].

”I Wasn’t Old Enough”

He returned to a familiar story. “When I got elected as a 29-year-old kid to the Senate—I had to wait to be—legally be—to be able to be sworn in, because I wasn’t old enough. No joke,” Biden said [1].

”Eight-Eight-One——”

In the question-and-answer session, Biden tried to give the mayors a phone number for help with infrastructure money. “I asked for the phone number, and I forgot it,” he said. His adviser Mitch Landrieu supplied it, and Biden repeated it one piece at a time: “Eight-eight-one——” “That you can call because we have people in here—no, no—no, I’m not joking,” Biden said [1].

By the Numbers

2 years: Biden’s time in office that day [1].
$40 billion: TSMC’s Arizona investment, per Biden [1].
379 million: doses of fentanyl Biden said had been seized [1].
$10 billion: the money Biden said he had just given California [1].

What Happened Next

The TSMC plant grew under Trump. For Biden’s visit to that plant in December 2022, and TSMC’s $100 billion pledge with President Donald Trump in 2025, see HYGO News’ page on Dec. 6, 2022.

The border fight continued. For the Biden administration’s reversal on the border wall nine months later, see the page on Oct. 5, 2023.