WASHINGTON (AP) 鈥� At least one mystery about President Joe Biden鈥檚 often convoluted answers during the has been solved.
Early in the debate, the 81-year-old Democrat was about the national debt and ended his meandering answer by declaring, 鈥淲e finally beat Medicare.鈥�
That was not what Biden had intended to say about the popular program providing health insurance for older Americans.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on Wednesday clarified the president's intent, saying, 鈥淗e meant to say that he beat big pharma.鈥�
Biden was trying to reference one of his legislative achievements 鈥� that Medicare now has the ability to negotiate the prices it pays pharmaceutical companies for some prescription drugs, helping to reduce federal spending.
The president's botched response helped set off about his ability to compete against presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump in November's elections.
Trump picked up on Biden's answer, and retorted that 鈥渉e's destroying Medicare.鈥�
Josh Boak, The Associated Press
