Former President Joe Biden has shared a debunked anecdote about a moment with an Amtrak conductor named Angelo Negri. During an appearance on Jay Leno’s Garage YouTube show, Biden recounted how Negri approached him with a newspaper article highlighting Biden’s travels on Air Force Two.

Biden claimed that Negri walked up to him, grabbed his cheek, and challenged Biden on his air travel miles compared to his train journeys. According to Biden, Negri told him that he had traveled almost double on the train compared to Air Force Two. However, this story is contradicted by several facts.

Biden’s claim is impossible. Negri passed away before Biden attained 1.2 million miles on Air Force Two. Furthermore, Negri retired in 1993, long before Biden became Vice President. Despite these discrepancies, Biden has repeated the story multiple times, and major news sources like the Associated Press and CNN have fact-checked the tale.

What Is Biden’s Amtrak Story?

Biden, who has shared the anecdote repeatedly, explained that he was traveling from Washington, D.C., to Delaware to see his sick mother. In some versions, Biden clarified that his mother had been dying and passed in 2010.

He claimed that about 30 Secret Service agents surrounded him when the conductor, identified by Biden as Negri, approached. Biden described how Negri confronted him over the article stating he had flown a million miles on Air Force Two and emphasized Biden’s extensive travel on Amtrak.

Fact Check

It is plausible that Biden traveled over a million miles on Amtrak by late 2015, based on CNN’s reporting and comments from his photographer, David Lienemann. Biden might have continued speaking with Negri after his retirement, as indicated by Negri’s stepdaughter Olga Betz, who described Negri’s fondness for Biden.

However, the conversation about the Air Force Two milestone could not have taken place with Negri, who died in May 2014, before Biden reached the milestone. Biden may have confused or conflated discussions with other Amtrak conductors, but visiting his dying mother would be inaccurate, as she died before the purported milestone.