#Biden incorrectly states 6,000 U.S. military members died from coronavirus

Enlarge Image

Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden talks with journalists in Romulus, Michigan.
Getty Images

Joe Biden fumbled the number of military members that died from the coronavirus during a campaign stop in Michigan on Wednesday.

The Democratic presidential candidate was in Warren, Mich. when he misspoke and said that over 6,000 U.S. military members have died from Covid-19.

The Biden campaign told Fox News that the former vice president cited the number of confirmed cases and deaths from COVID-19 in Michigan as being the numbers for the military, saying the armed forces had seen 118,984 cases and 6,114 deaths.

“Vice President Biden has the utmost respect for the men and women of the armed services and believes it’s the sacred duty of our country to properly equip them, look after their families when they’re deployed, and care for them when they return,” Biden’s rep Michael Gwin said in a statement to Fox News.

“To honor their service, the Vice President carries with him each day a card detailing the number of Americans who have given their lives for our country in Iraq and Afghanistan, and frequently cites that number to recognize their sacrifice.”

In June, Biden incorrectly said 120 million people in the country had died from the coronavirus. At the time the number was about 120,000.

The Trump campaign had used that slip-up as evidence that the Democratic candidate was “confused” and “not playing with a full deck.”

The number of dead in the US has since risen to more than 190,000 people as the country begins to reopen and children are being sent back to school.