When the average person thinks about stuttering, they picture someone who cannot control their speech. A man or woman that repeats the same word over and over—somebody having difficulty pronouncing the simplest phrase such as "Hi there".
Imagine not being able to order food or answer a question in class without risk of ridicule. The Mayo Clinic describes stuttering as "a speech condition that disrupts the normal flow of speech".
With stuttering, interruptions in flow happen often and cause problems for the speaker. Westutter.org, an organization dedicated to sharing resources for people with speech conditions, states that approximately 1 percent of the earth's population stutter, including me and Joe Biden, the president of The United States.
Many people have used Biden's speech impediment to label him as a sloppy, bad communicator who is mentally unfit. Before we begin, I am not a democrat voter nor a Biden supporter. His involvement with the 1994 Crime Bill, which disenfranchised a generation of Black people, specifically Black men, and the inability to implement any substantial student debt relief has put me off him. Still, as a fellow stutter, I can see the discrimination that Biden receives because of his speech impediment.
When I listen to President Biden, I hear a competent speaker. Someone who talks slowly, uses pauses, and tries to choose his words carefully.
Is he a gaffe machine? Absolutely. I could write an entire essay on comments not landing or remarks that would make one's head scratch. Still, none of this is an indication that he is not a good speaker.
People unfairly compare Biden to presidents of the past. He lacks the charm and charisma of President Bill Clinton. Biden doesn't have the otherworldly magnetism of President Barack Obama and is not a bombastic personality like President Trump.
Biden is a serviceable speaker who knows how to play to his crowds. He can deliver a message to the auto workers and sound confident while talking about his own grief and loss to family members who lost loved ones to gun violence. That is a talent in itself.
Still, because Biden stutters, he is seen as incompetent and incapable. People on social media slander him with unfound accusations of dementia or refer to him as an old man who is losing his mind. Although these accusations have no proof, when you do not talk as smoothly as everyone else, you will be labeled as inarticulate and not fit for leadership.
I have been stuttering since the age of six. My father and brother also stammer, but my speech impediment is the most pronounced of us three.
Throughout my life, people have made fun of, or laughed at me, when I'd struggle to speak, repeat phrases, or simply be "stuck." I could see folks' smiles when I had difficulty pronouncing words, and even giggle when I could not say my name.
When Porky the Pig cartoons would play, I would shudder and shrink. From presentations in front of the classroom in high school to job interviews, and even dating, my stutter has always been present. There is not a day that goes by that I am not cognizant of it, or how I speak.
I am always thinking about my stutter. It used to be so debilitating that I would avoid talking sometimes because I did not want to be embarrassed.
It wasn't until 2018, when I was given a chance to speak at TEDxWilsonPark that I faced the fear of my stuttering head-on, and conquered it. This does not mean I do not stutter, I still do, every day. However, not having the fear of it is humongous.
When I found out President Joe Biden also stuttered, I thought it was really cool. Here is the most powerful man in the world, someone who makes decisions that could impact millions of people, dealing with a speech impediment.
For me and the millions of people who stutter worldwide, it is incredible and inspiring. When people who stutter hear the insults towards Biden regarding his handicap, it sends a message that says, "You do not talk right" and, "There is something wrong with you." It discourages people who stutter, and folks who have been in speech therapy, to not talk.
When I watched President Biden's 2024 State of The Union Address, I saw a man who attempted to ease a country that is experiencing economic turmoil, convince his colleagues to continue to support Ukraine, address immigration, tout his "Build Back Better" plan, explain shrinkflation, all the while selling his vision for a new presidential term and proving to the country that he was a better leader than his predecessor.
Still, critics blasted the president, claiming he is "senile", "cognitively impaired", or worse, accused of being on drugs by his rival, President Donald Trump. People will view Biden's stutter as a liability, a failure, and a defect, instead of a normal handicap.
There are plenty of reasons to criticize President Biden—his unwillingness to call for a ceasefire in Gaza, the lack of any accountability on police abuse against Black people, and the handling of Roe v. Wade among others.
To poke fun and slander Biden because of his speech impediment is not one of them. Stuttering is a health condition that millions of people live with. Stammering may come with shame, fear of humiliation, judgment, and sadness.
Stuttering has also allowed me and others to become thoughtful speakers, and intensive listeners, grow more confident, and have empathy towards others. Many of us have taken our handicap and used it for motivation, just as Biden has.
Criticizing Biden with this is cheap and needs to be called out. I know in the age of Trump, this is asking a lot, but we are truly better than this.
All views expressed are the author's own.
LeRon L. Barton is a writer, author, and speaker that is located on the west coast in the United States. He was given the opportunity to speak at TEDxWilsonPark about his stutter.
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