President Joe Biden made two major embarrassing gaffes – calling Volodymyr Zelensky ‘President Putin’ and Kamala Harris ‘Vice President Donald Trump’ – while trying to reinforce his ability to run for reelection.
His first blunder came just before his ‘big boy’ press conference, which was viewed as possibly make-or-break for his bid to remain in the presidential race.
Biden, 81, botched his introduction of Ukraine’s president, instead introducing him as his enemy, Russian President Vladimir Putin.
‘And now I want to hand it over to the President of Ukraine, who has as much courage as he has determination,’ Biden said during a NATO conference in Washington, DC, late afternoon Thursday.
‘Ladies and gentlemen – President Putin. President Putin.’
Gasps could be heard in the Walter E Washington Convention Center, prompting Biden to realize his big mistake and try to play it off.
‘President Putin? You’re going to beat President Putin, President Zelensky,’ said Biden, correcting himself.
Biden, who is facing a growing number of calls to drop out of the 2024 race following his debate debacle, tried to explain his latest verbal stumble.
‘I’m so focused on beating Putin; we got to worry about it,’ Biden said at the event unveiling the Ukraine Compact agreement.
Zelensky went along with the blunder by quipping, ‘I’m better.’
‘You are a hell of a lot better,’ Biden said.
The US president had the slip-up at an unfortunate time for him, just about an hour before he was to hold a solo press conference wrapping up the three-day NATO summit.
Biden’s ‘big boy’ press conference was viewed as a pivotal moment for him to demonstrate he is fit to continue his reelection bid and serve another four years in the White House.
But he began that conference on a bad note, mixing up his Vice President Kamala Harris with his predecessor and 2024 opponent, Trump.
‘I wouldn’t have picked Vice President Trump to be vice president if she wasn’t qualified,’ Biden said.
He made the flub while answer the very first question by a reporter, asking him about losing support from Democrats and unions and talk of Harris potentially replacing him at the top of the ticket.
‘UAW endorsed me, but go ahead,’ Biden had cut in, referring to United Autoworkers, before the gaffe.
Throughout the presser, Biden responded to questions about waning support for him within the Democratic Party and whether he would step aside if his friends said Harris should replace him, but reiterating his determination to run.
‘I think it’s important that I allay fears,’ said Biden, referring to his scheduled campaign appearances on Friday and next week.
‘I gotta finish this job. I gotta finish this job, because there’s so much at stake.’
He responded to questions around whether he would be willing to take a cognitive test by saying that none of his doctors are ‘suggesting that to me now’.
A defiant Biden also said he would not consider bowing out ahead of the November election unless he was told, ‘There’s no way you can win’.
‘No one’s saying that,’ he said. ‘No poll says that.’
When asked at the end of the press conference about Trump mocking him mixing him up with Harris and ridiculing his age and memory, Biden said, ‘Listen to him’, and walked off the stage.
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