Authored by Luis Cornelio via Headline USA,

Former President Joe Biden made a rare public appearance Friday and drew criticism over what some observers described as a racially insensitive remark. 

Speaking at the funeral of civil rights leader Rev. Jesse Jackson, Biden told attendees — including prominent civil rights figures and other notable guests — “I’m a hell of a lot smarter than most of you.” 

Biden made the comment during a roughly 20-minute speech honoring Jackson while recounting a story about his childhood and how he was mocked for having a stutter. 

“I, as a kid, was a relatively good athlete and pretty good student, but I stuttered — to talk like that,” Biden said, while mimicking his childhood stutter.

The crowd responded with laughter. 

“Now, if I told you all earlier, when I was a kid, I had a cleft palate or club foot, none of you would have laughed,” Biden continued.

“But it’s okay to laugh at stuttering. I’m not being critical of you, but think about it. It’s the one place where people think you’re stupid. Oh, really? I’m a hell of a lot smarter than most of you.” 

Biden then added, “All kidding aside, it makes you feel really small. It makes you feel really small.” 

On X, some conservative critics pointed out that Biden made the remark while speaking at the funeral of a civil rights leader before a crowd that included several well-known black leaders and public figures. 

Among those in attendance were former President Barack Obama, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and former Vice President Kamala Harris. 

Other notable black figures present included filmmaker and actor Tyler Perry, leftist activist Cornel West, NBA Hall of Famer Isiah Thomas and singer Jennifer Hudson. 

Several other political figures also attended the funeral, including former President Bill Clinton, twice-failed presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, Illinois Gov. J. B. Pritzker and California Gov. Gavin Newsom. 

Notably, Gavin Newsom also came under fire last week after telling a crowd in Atlanta — a predominantly black city — that he was “just like you” because he had received a below-average SAT score.