As the 2020 presidential race has continued to heat up, President Donald Trump’s side has continued to stick to their harsh vitriol. That has included Trump’s daughter-in-law and re-election campaign official Lara Trump appearing to mock former Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden’s stutter. In an opinion piece published this weekend in The New York Times, Captain Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger revealed that he too suffered from a stutter and denounced those who’ve mocked Biden’s speech pattern. He also insisted that those who suffer from similar impediments should not be set back because of them. Biden publicly thanked Sullenberger for speaking out, and it’s at best a stretch to imagine the current president ever issuing a similarly leadership-oriented message.
On Twitter, Biden wrote:
‘Thank you @Captsully for sharing your story. There’s a lot of kids who I bet needed to hear it. Being different isn’t a barrier to success. It can give you the strength to save lives in a crash landing — or even run for President.’
Thank you @Captsully for sharing your story. There’s a lot of kids who I bet needed to hear it.
Being different isn’t a barrier to success. It can give you the strength to save lives in a crash landing — or even run for President. https://t.co/0sYl6VhJyr
— Joe Biden (Text Join to 30330) (@JoeBiden) January 19, 2020
Sullenberger is most famous for successfully landing a passenger jet on the Hudson River in 2009 after mechanical errors threatened the plane. Every one walked away from the landing safely.
In his piece, directly addressing those who’ve nitpicked Biden’s speech pattern, he wrote:
‘Stop. Grow up. Show some decency. People who can’t have no place in public life.’
Lara Trump had mockingly said at a public event that “every time he comes onstage or they turn to him” she thinks “Joe can you get it out? Let’s get the words out Joe.” Former White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders had also actually mocked Biden’s speech pattern, but she deleted the tweet with the mockery and apologized after outrage grew. She claimed to have been unaware of Biden’s previous struggles.
Meanwhile, Sullenberger concluded his Times piece with a message to those afflicted by stutters and similar speech difficulties. He wrote:
‘You are fine, just as you are. You can do any job you dream of when you grow up. You can be a pilot who lands your plane on a river and helps save lives, or a president who treats people with respect, rather than making fun of them.’
Again — could you imagine the current president issuing any kind of similar statement? Likely not. He spends much of his time spouting off on Twitter with angry antagonism of his opponents.
Check out Twitter’s response to Biden:
