US President Joe Biden was speaking during a visit to a former coal mine plant. (AFP File Photo)
A video of US President Joe Biden appearing to claim in a speech that he has cancer created alarm on social media on Wednesday. Mr Biden was speaking during a visit to a former coal mine plant in Somerset, Massachusetts, to discuss new executive orders to fight climate change. Though the remark appeared casual, the White House quickly clarified that the President was referring to skin cancer treatment that he had taken before assuming the office in January last year.
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Mr Biden was discussing the harm caused by emissions from oil refineries when he made a reference to his childhood home in Delaware and said, "My mother drove us rather than us being able to walk and guess what? The first frost, you know what was happening? You had to put on your windshield wipers to get literally the oil slick off the window. That's why I - and so damn many other people I grew up with - have cancer and why for the longest time, Delaware had the highest cancer rate in the nation."
As soon as the clip surfaced on Twitter, many users wanted to know whether the comment was another gaffe or an admission.
"Joe Biden just said he has cancer and called a male House member "she," so things are going really well today," a user commented. "Does Joe Biden have Cancer or Dementia?" tweeted another.
"I pray your cancer is healed," another user tweeted.
As the President's remarks created a buzz, White House clarified that he was referring to his previous diagnosis. The New York Post and Sky News reached out to the White House and its spokesperson Andrew Bates referred to a tweet from Washington Post columnist Glenn Kessler, who noted that Mr Biden had "non-melanoma skin cancers" removed before he took office.