The phrase “Corn Pop” began trending on Twitter this week, reigniting a debate on social media over the veracity of a controversial story told often by President Biden.
THE STORY
In a 2017 video, Biden recounted a run-in he had, while working as a lifeguard in Wilmington, Delaware in 1962, with a supposed gang leader named “Corn Pop.”
Biden claimed he angered Corn Pop by blowing his whistle at him while he was playing around on the diving board, and called him “Esther,” a reference to actress Esther Williams.
- Corn Pop and his gang, the Romans, retaliated by threatening to attack Biden after the pool closed.
- According to Biden, he brought a chain to defend himself, but the showdown never took place.
- Instead of fighting, the two boys became friends.
“I owe you an apology,” Biden told Corn Pop, according to his 2007 autobiography, “Promises to Keep.” “I should have never called you Esther Williams. That was wrong. And in front of all your friends, I sincerely apologize. But if you bounce on the board like that again, I’m still going to throw you out.”
THE REAL CORN POP
While Biden’s critics have expressed skepticism toward the president’s account, Corn Pop really did exist.
William “Corn Pop” Morris died in 2016.
- Morris worked as a security guard and knew Biden, The Washington Post reported in 2019.
- However, Morris’ relatives have disputed Biden’s characterization of him as a “bad dude.”
- “[Morris was a] good kindhearted man who would do anything for anybody. He was always polite and respectful to everyone, that’s what he always taught me to be,” Morris’ son, Leon Morris, told CNN reporter Daniel Dale in 2019.
THE TWEET THAT SUMS IT ALL UP
Some observers have argued that the issue with Biden’s story isn’t whether or not it was true.