Biden: 'Indian-Descent Americans Are Taking Over the Country'

President Joe Biden reportedly said "Indian-descent Americans are taking over the country" while talking to a NASA official on Friday. 

Biden made the off-the-cuff remark during a conversation with Dr. Swati Mohan, NASA’s guidance and controls operations head for the Perseverance Mars rover, according to the Times of India.

“It’s amazing. Indian-descent Americans are taking over the country — you, my vice president [Kamala Harris], my speechwriter, Vinay [Reddy]," Biden said. "I tell you what. But thank you. You guys are incredible." 

He added: "One of the reasons why we’re such an incredible country is we’re such a diverse country. We bring the best out of every single solitary culture in the world, here in the United States of America, and we give people an opportunity to let their dreams run forward.”

Biden, throughout his political career, has become somewhat infamous for his verbal gaffes. He's made few eyebrow-raising remarks as president, however, due to limited and relatively controlled appearances since taking office.

In 2006, then-Sen. Biden — who was a 2008 presidential hopeful — made headlines when he was caught on C-SPAN telling a man that "I've had a great relationship [with Indian-Americans]. In Delaware, the largest growth in population is Indian-Americans moving from India. You cannot go to a 7-Eleven or a Dunkin' Donuts unless you have a slight Indian accent. I'm not joking."

Mohan, who the Independent notes immigrated to the U.S. as an infant, said that her "path actually started way back when I was a child, watching my first episode of 'Star Trek.' In addition to those fantastical scenes of space, what really captured my attention was this really close-knit team who was working together, manipulating this technological marvel with the sole purpose of exploring space and understanding new things and seeking new life.”

She added that it was her privilege to work with an “incredibly diverse, talented team that has become like a family.”

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