Joseph "Beau" Robinette Biden III died of cancer in May of 2015. As a result, his father, Joseph "Joe" Robinette Biden Jr., made reference to curing cancer in a public appearance in Iowa on June 11.
People understood the importance for the former Vice President in light of the death of his eldest son and namesake from brain cancer. The younger Biden had been the 44th Attorney General of Maryland and also served the United States Army as a Major in the Army Judge Advocate General's Corps.
Watch Biden's comments here.
Here's the video of @JoeBiden promising to cure cancer if elected president. https://t.co/3doUlVOgcg https://t.co/cRzsamV1Fc— Julio Rosas (@Julio Rosas) 1560282638.0
However Donald Trump Jr. found Biden's vow to cure the illness that killed his son something to mock during President Donald Trump's Orlando MAGA rally. Trump Jr. has served in his family's businesses and once co-hosted a reality show with his father.
Watch the President's namesake here.
.@donaldjtrumpjr: "Joe Biden comes out. 'Well, if you elect me president, I'm going to cure cancer.' Wow. Why the h… https://t.co/dGFVMGwN2t— The Hill (@The Hill) 1560903322.0
People found Donald Jr.'s mocking of Biden's loss in extremely poor taste.
This is a human fathered by Donald Trump ridiculing a guy whose son died of cancer for saying he'd like the govt… https://t.co/11KTXgA5NB— John Fugelsang (@John Fugelsang) 1560906023.0
Keep America Great? Perfect example of the Trump BS machine in full flight. Don Jr., up on a stage, suggesting J… https://t.co/pTXAFbfgAL— Steve Redmond (@Steve Redmond) 1560911212.0
Don jr. talking about Joe Biden efforts to cure cancer reminded me of this classic Trump story about stiffing a kid… https://t.co/nTcEpDaTkX— Steve Redmond (@Steve Redmond) 1560913385.0
#WednesdayWisdom @DonaldJTrumpJr Regarding your "speech" last night: Just how many family members do you have tha… https://t.co/ottvfgb230— Juana (@Juana) 1560956518.0
Independent Senator Angus King of Maine called Donald Jr.'s comments mocking Biden "outrageous."
JUST NOW: "Outrageous!" @SenAngusKing at a loss for words over @DonaldJTrumpJr's attacks on @JoeBiden for his reco… https://t.co/WBmLbQgdUe— John Berman (@John Berman) 1560946562.0
Who does @DonaldJTrumpJr think he is? Mocking Biden in this way is the height of arrogance, ignorance, and insensi… https://t.co/EqoEX8dgGw— Don Adams (@Don Adams) 1560930365.0
But his father, Donald Trump Sr., saw it as an opportunity to make his own claims about what illnesses he would cure if reelected.
As part of his MAGA rally speech, President Trump said:
"We will push onward with new medical frontiers."
"We will come up with the cures to many, many problems, to many, many diseases, including cancer and others and we’re getting closer all the time."
"We will eradicate AIDS in America once and for all and we’re very close."
Watch his remarks here.
In this single clip, Trump promises to cure cancer, AIDS, and "lay the foundation" for a Mars landing -- all in his… https://t.co/OU1AguVWBk— Aaron Rupar (@Aaron Rupar) 1560907935.0
@realDonaldTrump Massive cuts to science and medicine in Trump budget This includes $1 billion cuts to the Nation… https://t.co/BDJFKqHZrc— VICTORY (@VICTORY) 1560959801.0
@Slate And his idiot followers buy this, of course. Can't "cure" cancer w/o research and that costs money; you've b… https://t.co/ud8kS9Dk17— judy gitlin (@judy gitlin) 1560959767.0
@atrupar Is Mexico paying for all this too?— Grammarccrritchie 📖📚 (@Grammarccrritchie 📖📚) 1560908226.0
@atrupar AND MEXICO IS GONNA PAY FOR AAALLLLL OF IT!!!!— gg 🙊🙈🙉 (@gg 🙊🙈🙉) 1560908190.0
@atrupar He couldn't even get Mexico to pay for his wall.— D Villella ❄️ (@D Villella ❄️) 1560908046.0
@atrupar He can promise to build a Dyson sphere ffs but we all know he can’t deliver on anything other than racist… https://t.co/YweQoaSbnk— æ (@æ) 1560911551.0
@ddale8 "We will come up with the cures to many, many problems, to many, many diseases, including cancer, and other… https://t.co/1gr6PrGIhM— Diana Prince (@Diana Prince) 1560907896.0
People took exception to Donald Sr.'s boast coming on the heels of Donald Jr.'s mocking of Biden making a lesser vow.
Here's Donald Trump Jr mocking Joe Biden last night for vowing to try to cure cancer ... followed by President Trum… https://t.co/iThTG0qPDU— Aaron Rupar (@Aaron Rupar) 1560950605.0
@TheDemCoalition/Twitter
While in FL, Trump accused President Obama of colluding with Russia, insisted steel has come back in a big way even… https://t.co/NfWN6ndGfW— Adam Parkhomenko (@Adam Parkhomenko) 1560953223.0
Trump just said he will cure cancer. After his son made fun of Biden for saying it. Nothing matters.— Jonathan Allen (@Jonathan Allen) 1560907783.0
@JohnFugelsang Funny his father made the same claim: "President Trump said during his 2020 reelection campaign kic… https://t.co/8gdZuaCDnX— Ed Bear (@Ed Bear) 1560959711.0
Many took to Twitter and tagged both Donald Jr. and Sr. with a message about both the son's mocking comment and the father's boast.
Hey @DonaldJTrumpJr. America is going to cure cancer all by herself, when we vote you and your despicable POS fathe… https://t.co/B89uuqYMkj— Gina (@Gina) 1560956542.0
@realDonaldTrump can't cure the cancer within his own administration let alone actual cancer. Besides, if he contin… https://t.co/jt0lbe4Hdz— Lisa Garofano (@Lisa Garofano) 1560959687.0
But some people had much smaller ambitions for the President.
@tonyposnanski/Twitter
@ddale8 Uhm... how about a cure for lying?— VirginMary (@VirginMary) 1560908039.0
President Trump used the Orlando MAGA rally as a chance to officially kick off his 2020 presidential campaign. His announcement came on the heels of conservative leaning paper Orlando Sentinelendorsing "Not Donald Trump" in 2020 with a scathing editorial and Quinnipiac University's latest Florida poll results showing Trump behind all the Democratic frontrunners.