(The Center Square) – During a climate speech in Massachusetts Wednesday, President Joe Biden appeared to say he has cancer.

“That’s why I and so damn many other people I grew up with have cancer and why for the longest time Delaware had the highest cancer rate in the nation,” Biden said, referring to emissions from oil refineries near his childhood home in Delaware.

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But a White House spokesperson later clarified that Biden was referring to having non-melanoma skin cancers removed before he took office.

It initially was unclear whether this was an admission of Biden’s health status or a verbal flub where the president was trying to say that he “has had” cancer in the past.

NOTE: This story was updated to reflect new information.