Biden tells mourners he’s ‘smarter than most’ at Jackson memorial

Former president Joe Biden told mourners at the Rev. Jesse Jackson’s memorial service Friday that he was “a lot smarter than most of you,” a pointed remark that stood out during his tribute to the late civil rights leader.

Biden made the comment while recounting how he was made fun of as a child because of his stutter and how speech impediments are often mistaken for a lack of intelligence.

“If I told you I had a cleft palate or a club foot, none of you would have laughed,” Biden said. “But it’s okay to laugh at stuttering. … It’s the only place where people think you’re stupid.

“Oh, really? I’m a lot smarter than most of you,” he added, before quickly returning to his broader point. “But joking aside, we feel really small.”

Former President Joe Biden speaks during a public memorial service to celebrate the life of civil rights activist Jesse Jackson in Chicago, March 6, 2026. (Kamil Krzaczynski/AFP via Getty Images)

Biden made the remark during a memorial service in Chicago which brought together prominent Democratic leaders and civil rights figures to honor Jackson’s decades-long political influence.

Former presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton attended the service along with former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, former Vice President Kamala Harris and Rev. Al Sharpton.

The event took place at the 10,000-seat House of Hope arena, where hundreds of people gathered to celebrate Jackson’s life and legacy.

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Former President Joe Biden speaks during a celebration of civil rights leader Jesse Jackson Sr.’s lifetime service at the House of Hope Arena March 6, 2026, in Chicago. Jackson died on February 17 after a long battle with progressive supranuclear palsy. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Jackson, who died at age 84, rose to prominence as a close associate of Martin Luther King Jr. during the civil rights movement. He then founded the Rainbow PUSH Coalition and organized two Democratic presidential campaigns in 1984 and 1988 that expanded black voter turnout and reshaped the party’s electoral coalition.

Throughout the service, speakers praised Jackson’s ability to build political alliances and raise issues affecting marginalized communities.

Biden, who has often spoken about working to overcome his childhood stutter, framed his remarks around resilience and the lasting impact of ridicule as a young person.

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Barack Obama and Joe Biden at the People’s Celebration of Life and Home Services of Rev. Jesse L. Jackson at the House of Hope Arena on March 6, 2026, in Chicago. (Earl Gibson III/Deadline via Getty Images)

Later in his remarks, Biden asserted that “the continent of Africa will be the greatest continent in the world” to the gathered mourners.

“I remember telling Jesse that I knew I knew a guy in South Africa,” former President Biden recalled. “I was going to see Nelson Mandela. And I’m Jesse saying, how are you? By the way, do you guys see it? You know, the African continent is going to be the largest continent in the world by population by 2050, the largest in the entire world. Look, man. Look.”

His “smarter than most of you” phrase was quickly added to a growing list of out-of-context gaffes by the former president, and social media users weighed in online.

Under a repost of TikTok user Libs’ viral moment, one commenter wrote: “That’s a strange phrase to say at a memorial service.”

Another joked: “Never ending comedy from this guy. He’s so happy he’s back in public.”

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Aside from Biden’s remarks, the memorial focused largely on Jackson’s legacy as a civil rights leader who helped shape the Modern Democratic Party and expand political participation in the United States.

Greg Norman-Diamond, Bradford Betz and Patrick McGovern of Fox News Digital contributed to this report.

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