Does Joe Biden Think Suicide is Funny?
The president's "don't jump" joke is grotesquely offensive.
Trigger Warning: This post discusses suicide. Free, confidential help is available.
At the start of what should have been a sober speech honoring the late Senator John McCain and discussing the threat to America’s constitutional order posed by Donald Trump, President Joe Biden did what he frequently does during speeches and public events — he made a suicide joke.
Placing his hand above his eyes, Biden looked up at audience members in the distance and said:
“Oh. I didn’t see you all up there. Woooow. Don’t jump! Don’t jump! Ahahaha.”
While the White House would probably like to excuse the language as just another bizarre Biden-ism, it’s clear that the president is joking about suicide. (In 2007, German pop rock band Tokio Hotel released a song called “Don’t Jump” in an attempt to discourage teenage suicide.) At a rally last November, Biden responded to a heckler by telling him that he looked “crazy enough to jump”:
Hey! Hey man! Don’t jump! You look crazy enough to jump. Don’t jump! ::gestures with hand:: Don’t jump!
And last month at the Grand Canyon, Biden warned reporters not to dive into the Grand Canyon, which anyone familiar with the natural wonder knows is a dark reference to suicide.
He makes this unfunny joke all the time, as this Sky News Australia report noted.
The social context for Joe Biden’s “joke” is surging youth suicides.
From 2011, the rate rose 60% to 11.0 per 100,000 in 2021, according to a report published early Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Health Statistics.
Americans, especially young people, look to their president for inspiration and leadership. At a time when there is a severe youth mental health crisis, what impact does the president of the United States constantly joking about suicide have on struggling young people? Is Biden helping or hurting? Why does he think this language is acceptable?
In addition to the horrific public health consequences of the U.S. president constantly mocking suicidal behavior, his offensive joke — gag, gaffe, blunder? — raises questions about the viability of Joe Biden’s reelection campaign. His 2020 general election campaign was almost entirely virtual. The only evidence we have of Biden’s ability to campaign at this stage of his life comes from his 2019-20 primary events, which were full of angry moments where he lashed out at citizens, journalists, and activists. In 2024, will Biden be able to display appropriate behavior while simultaneously managing a grueling campaign schedule and governing the country? I think the answer is unclear.
Of course, the political consequences of Biden’s irresponsible language are secondary to the impact he may be having on Americans — especially young people — struggling with their mental health during a very trying period in U.S. history. Joking about suicide is never okay — the president needs to stop.