President Biden’s latest gaffe came Tuesday as he inaccurately said the Grand Canyon is one of the ‘nine’ wonders of the world.
He made the error during a speech at Red Butte Airfield in Arizona, just a few miles south of the Grand Canyon, in a speech focused on his administration’s climate agenda and conservation efforts.
‘Folks, it’s not hyperbole to suggest that there is no national treasure — none that is grander than the Grand Canyon. The Grand Canyon — one of the Earth’s nine wonders, wonders of the world, literally. Think of that. You know, it’s amazing. An enduring symbol of America to the entire world,’ Biden said.
The widely accepted list of world wonders includes seven locations, and the Grand Canyon is not part of that list. The actual wonders included are the Great Wall of China, Chichén Itzá in Mexico, Petra in Jordan, Machu Picchu in Peru, the Christ the Redeemer statue in Brazil, the Colosseum in Italy and the Taj Mahal in India.
However, the Grand Canyon is included on a widely accepted list of the seven natural wonders of the world compiled by CNN in 1997, which also includes the northern lights, or aurora, the Great Barrier Reef, the Harbor at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Parícutin in Mexico, Victoria Falls on the border of Zimbabwe and Zambia, and Mount Everest.
Biden later tried unsuccessfully to correct himself, saying he intended to say ‘seven’ rather than ‘nine,’ but he still included the Grand Canyon on the list of the world’s seven wonders.
‘The first time I saw the Grand Canyon years ago, I was a young senator. As I stood there and looked out, a phrase came to mind — it was instinctive. I said this must be — this is God’s cathedral. That’s what it reminded me of. It just is so magnificent. As a matter of fact — I said nine. It’s one of the seven wonders of the world,’ he said.