Here we go again playing a game which is becoming a defining feature of the Biden presidency: Is Biden lying or is he just confused? RNC research published a video today of Biden claiming that he got student debt forgiveness “passed by a vote or two.”

BIDEN on his student loan debt bailout: "It's passed. I got it passed by a vote or two."

What is he talking about? Congress never voted on it. pic.twitter.com/62Ov7znOfZ

— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) October 23, 2022

Apparently, some people were denying that Biden meant what it sounded like he meant so RNC Research posted a longer version of the clip (2nd one below).

Here is the full clip for all you clowns who say it’s out of context. Biden first falsely claims he “signed a law” to cancel student loan debt, then says he “got it passed by a vote or two.”

??????? pic.twitter.com/JKdKde24db

— Jake Schneider (@jacobkschneider) October 24, 2022

“I’ve just signed a law…” Biden said. Then he went on to add, “It’s passed, I got it passed by a vote or two.” That certainly makes it sound as if this is something that was passed by Congress, but as we all know, this never went through Congress. Instead, Biden ordered it using emergency executive power.

So, again, is Biden confused or is he just outright lying to make it sound like this went through Congress when it most certainly did not? Among the reactions to this new gaffe, there’s agreement it has to be one or the other.

Either the president is deliberately misrepresenting the student loan cancellation in a quite Trumpian fashion, or he is actually so confused that he thinks he signed a bill rather than an executive order. This can't be written off as a simple verbal glitch. https://t.co/s9icQHbAjY

— Megan McArdle (@asymmetricinfo) October 24, 2022

Some are leaning toward confused.

It's not out of context.

The President simply didn't know what happened. https://t.co/6u5szMKFyl

— Pradheep J. Shanker (@Neoavatara) October 24, 2022

Others think he’s lying.

Having willfully violated his oath of office by issuing an executive order he knows is flatly illegal—and having then tried to dodge review by the courts by amending it on the fly —Biden is now lying about it having gone through Congress. https://t.co/XNRSCyIdZd

— Charles C. W. Cooke (@charlescwcooke) October 24, 2022

Others are just saying it’s “troubling” whatever it is.

Troubling, on many levels. https://t.co/tvkQtLsk4D

— Betsy DeVos (@BetsyDeVos) October 24, 2022

I don’t want to underestimate the chance that Biden is just lying about this but ever since the “Where’s Jackie?” gaffe late last month, I think confusion should now be the default explanation. If you can’t remember that the person you’re looking for in the room is dead, how can you remember how you pushed through student debt forgiveness?

"Jackie are you here? Where's Jackie?"

Rep. Jackie Walorski (R-IN) died in a car accident in August pic.twitter.com/cHc3b7zPmE

— Charlie Spiering (@charliespiering) September 28, 2022

You may also remember that the White House Press Secretary had quite a hard time explaining the “Where’s Jackie?” gaffe, claiming deceased Rep. Jackie Walorski was “top of mind” for Biden that day. No doubt Karine Jean-Pierre is going to be asked about this new gaffe tomorrow. I wonder what explanation she’ll come up with.

The real takeaway here is that people who claim Biden is running for reelection in two years are deluding themselves. We’re not yet two years into his term and he is visibly struggling. This decline is going to get worse over the next two years and that really is worrisome. The idea that he could go on for another four years after that is just not realistic.

Update: Here’s the White House response.

Statement from the WH on Biden’s claim about passing student loan forgiveness “by a vote or two”— they say he was referring to the IRA, which reduced deficit in order to generate savings to pay for student loan cancellation https://t.co/w0eQ1ik41q pic.twitter.com/wHo9ook2Ce

— Jacqui Heinrich (@JacquiHeinrich) October 24, 2022

Except, student debt forgiveness wasn’t in the Inflation Reduction Act it was an executive order.

Is there one person who believes this https://t.co/1v20m5XOe7

— Mary Katharine Ham (@mkhammer) October 24, 2022

Not me.

This is such a brazen lie, I wonder if the WH is stupid or if they just think *we* are. https://t.co/CCVxtrQV3b

— Angela Morabito (@AngelaLMorabito) October 24, 2022

So Biden got confused and the White House is lying to cover for him.