Who Is Dave Hughes? Biden Supporters Slam Comedian Over Mocking President-Elect’s Stutter

Dave Hughes is under fire after Joe Biden’s supporters slammed the Australian comedian over mocking the president-elect’s stutter on Twitter. After a wave of backlash on Saturday, the Australian funny man deleted the tweet and apologized.

Hughes’ now-deleted tweet was shared after watching the president-elect speak on television. “Joe Biden just had a mad struggle stringing sentences together. Is it the autocue?” the post read.

Following the tweet, Biden’s supporters began sharing their disappointment over Hughes’ comment.

“I’ve overcome a stutter and this stings, not going to lie! What a bully Dave Hughes has turned out to be,” one person wrote.

Another person added, “Seems ol’ Dave Hughes has a lot to say these days. Making fun of a person with a stutter or any disability is no joke, no laughing matter & will only be seen as a Bully Dog act!”

After a wave of backlash, Hughes deleted the tweet and insisted he was unaware of Biden’s struggle.

“I would NEVER mock someone’s stutter. I was commenting on Joe’s struggle to read the autocue. I didn’t think it had anything to do with a stutter. Sorry for my ignorance,” he wrote.

Hughes later thanked some of the commentators who attempted to inform him about the disability.

“Sometimes stutters are so subtle it can (almost) pass for fluent speech not always possible to discern the reason - it’s the paradoxical nature of many communication disabilities; hidden but noticeable. The autocue can also be both a barrier or facilitator to communication,” one person tweeted to the comedian.

Hughes replied, “Learning. Helpful. Thanks.”

Although Biden’s supporters were upset about Hughes’ tweet, it’s not the first time the president-elect has experienced negativity in regards to his stutter. During a CNN Town Hall in February, Biden opened up about his lifelong struggle with stuttering.

The 77-year-old revealed he typically talks slowly to avoid stumbling over his words. “It has nothing to do with your intelligence quotient. It has nothing to do with your intellectual makeup,” Biden said.

Biden added, “You have to break it up because you get so nervous.”

He then noted that some people aren’t aware that they are being offensive when they talk about another person’s stutter.

“You know, stuttering, when you think about it, is the only handicap that people still laugh about. That still humiliate people about. And they don’t even mean to,” Biden said.