During remarks at the White House on Tuesday regarding Equal Pay Day, President Biden incorrectly called Vice President Kamala Harris “first lady”. He then joked about the mistake.
According to CSPAN video, Biden stated that there has been a slight change in the order of who was on the stage due to the husband of the first lady contracting COVID.
On Tuesday, Harris’ husband Doug Emhoff tested positive for COVID-19. Harris tested negative. One member of the audience seems to have mentioned Biden’s snafu, which is why the president joked about it. Biden gestured to Jill Biden, his wife, and said “That’s right.” “She’s fine. It’s me that doesn’t get it.” “And secondly, the gentleman who is first, how about that?” The president continued.
Biden opened his remarks by introducing him as the first wife’s husband.
“I’m Joe Biden. He said, “I’m Joe Biden’s husband.
Biden spoke out about the progress of women, and called for equal pay. He also highlighted his administration’s efforts in closing the “pay gap.” Biden signed Tuesday’s executive order to encourage efforts to achieve equal pay. He also encouraged the government to ban federal contractors from asking for information about applicants’ previous salary histories.
Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), House Speaker, made a comment earlier in the day on Tuesday’s Department of Labor data showing the wage gap.
Women earned 83c for every dollar that men earned in 2020. Comparing their wages with White, non-Hispanic males, the gap is especially stark for Hispanic and Black women (57c) and 64c respectively.
Critics argue that the U.S. bans sex discrimination at work and that the pay gap is mostly due to individual choices and not discrimination. On average, men choose to work in more dangerous and better-paying positions than women, while comparatively, more women prefer to be mothers.
