SOMERSET, Mass. (WTVO) — President Joe Biden said on Wednesday that he has cancer thanks to the oil industry, forcing the White House to clarify that he was referring to skin cancer treatment he received prior to taking office.

Biden was speaking on climate change at a former coal power plant in Somerset, Massachusetts, when he made the statement. Biden began speaking about the harm caused by emissions from oil refineries and “that’s why I and so many damn other people I grew up with have cancer.”

Biden grew up in Claymont, Delaware.

Twitter users seized on the statement with shock.

White House spokesman Andrew Bates shared a report by Biden’s physician, Dr. Kevin O’Connor, from 2020 that said “It is well-established that President Biden did spend a good deal of time in the sun in his youth. He has had several localized, non-melanoma skin cancers removed with Mohs surgery before he started his presidency.”

Biden was speaking Wednesday at the former coal plant to announce new executive actions to tackle climate change, but stopped short of declaring a formal climate emergency.

Executive actions announced Wednesday will bolster the domestic offshore wind industry in the Gulf of Mexico and Southeast, as well as spend $2.3 billion to help communities cope with soaring temperatures through programs administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Department of Health and Human Services and other agencies.

Biden’s job approval continues to slip to a new low of 33% according to a recent poll by The New York Times, which also found nearly two-thirds of Democrats prefer someone else to run in 2024, mentioning issues like “age” and “job performance” as the most important factors that should disqualify Biden from running for re-election.