President Biden sparked a round of confusion Friday by finishing a speech on combating gun violence by saying, “God save the queen, man.”

Mr. Biden uttered the out-of-place phrase before heading off the stage at a gun-safety summit in West Hartford, Connecticut.

The baffling sign-off from the leader of the free world left Americans guessing what he meant and who the British salute was directed at.

A pool reporter traveling with Mr. Biden told fellow print journalists he fielded several queries about the “queen” remark but he had no idea why the president said it. 

The president has said “God save the queen” at least once before as a kind of sign-off after the certification of President Donald Trump’s election win in 2017. Those remarks were caught on a hot mic after a session of Congress.

The phrase is outdated, given that Queen Elizabeth II died last year, leading to the coronation of King Charles III.

A Twitter account for Republican National Committee Research, which relishes every verbal stumble by Mr. Biden, swiftly reposted Friday’s remark.

The Twitter account of the West Hartford Republican Party commented, “No, Joe. It’s God Save America.”

The Washington Times reached out to the White House for comment.

• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.