copy/pasta nbc news
By Zoë Richards
President Joe Biden on Wednesday mistakenly asked whether the late Rep. Jackie Walorski, who died in a car accident last month, was at a White House event that she helped convene.
Biden made the gaffe as he delivered remarks at the White House Conference on Food, Nutrition, and Health, where he publicly acknowledged elected officials like Walorski, R-Ind., who helped organize the gathering.
At one point Biden asked, “Jackie, are you here? Where’s Jackie?” as he looked out and scanned the audience. He did not correct his remarks.
Walorski, a five-term lawmaker, died in a car crash along with two of her staffers on Aug. 3. She was 58. She had been a co-chair of the House Hunger Caucus, and she was one of four members of Congress who introduced the bipartisan bill that convened Wednesday's White House conference.
Hours after her death, Biden issued a statement saying he "appreciated her partnership as we plan for a historic White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health this fall that will be marked by her deep care for the needs of rural America."