Joe Biden roasted Donald Trump’s reach of the middle class, saying the candidate’s coining of the phrase “you’re fired” said a lot about him. | AP Photo 'Malarkey' searches spike after Biden's convention speech

Joe Biden spiked searches of the word “malarkey” on Wednesday night, according to trends monitored by Merriam-Webster.

During his speech to the Democratic National Convention, the vice president roasted Donald Trump for alleged lack of empathy for the middle class, saying the GOP nominee’s use of the phrase “You’re fired” says a lot about him.


“Think about that. Think about everything you learned as a child, no matter where you were raised. How can there be pleasure in saying, ‘You’re fired?’ He’s trying to tell us he cares about the middle class?” he said. “Give me a break, that’s a bunch of malarkey!”

Merriam-Webster noted Biden has been known to use the word in private interactions and in speeches.

Joe Biden: Trump is full of ‘malarkey’ Joe Biden talks about Donald Trump on Wednesday.

In 1988, The Philadelphia Inquirer quoted him as telling a crowd that Michael Dukakis’ campaign was not suffering upsets. “‘Don't buy all this malarkey that we’re [the Dukakis campaign] in so much trouble,’ Biden told the crowd.”

During a 2002 Judiciary Committee subcommittee hearing on counterterrorism, Biden lectured FBI Director Robert Mueller: “I think that is malarkey. That is not legitimate.”

A more recent example was in 2012, during a debate with Republican then-vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan, whene Biden countered Ryan’s claim that the U.S. “projects weakness” to its enemies. Biden responded, “With all due respect, that’s a bunch of malarkey.”