Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden misspoke during a campaign stop in Michigan, incorrectly saying that over 6,000 U.S. military members have died from the novel coronavirus.
Speaking in Warren, Mich., Biden cited the number of confirmed cases and deaths from COVID-19 in Michigan as being the numbers for the military, saying the armed forces had seen 118,984 cases and 6,114 deaths.
Shortly after the event, Biden’s campaign quickly clarified that Biden had mixed up the numbers for Michigan with those from military. As of Wednesday, only seven members of the military had died from COVID-19.
"Vice President Biden has the utmost respect for the men and women of the armed services and believes it's the sacred duty of our country to properly equip them, look after their families when they're deployed, and care for them when they return,” Biden’s Deputy Rapid Response Director Michael Gwin said in a statement to Fox News.
Gwin added: “To honor their service, the Vice President carries with him each day a card detailing the number of Americans who have given their lives for our country in Iraq and Afghanistan, and frequently cites that number to recognize their sacrifice."
Biden has taken criticism before for confusing statistics when it comes to the coronavirus pandemic.
In June, Biden incorrectly said 120 million people had died from the contagion in the U.S.