KAM ON!
Biden trails off in answer after answer & struggles to claw back from ‘Vice President Trump’ gaffe minutes into speech
The slip-up is just one of many by Biden in the past few weeks
JOE Biden has suffered yet another embarrassing gaffe minutes into a long-awaited press conference as he called Kamala Harris "Vice President Trump."
Americans waited with bated breath on Thursday night as Biden gave his first solo press conference since November as calls to step aside continued to grow.
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Trump, 78, immediately called Biden out on his social media platform Truth Social joking, "Great job, Joe!"
The former president also said Biden, 81, has a case of "Trump Derangement Syndrome."
The mistake came after a reporter asked the president about any concerns if Harris were to take his place.
"Look, I wouldn't have picked Vice President Trump to be Vice President... do I think she's not qualified to be President...so let's start there," the president replied.
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Throughout Biden's solo conference, which began almost an hour late and lasted about 60 minutes, Biden made several slip-ups regarding names.
The president confused his chief of staff with "my commander in chief."
Trump commented on the blunder on Truth Social.
"Crooked Joe begins his 'Big Boy' Press Conference with, 'I wouldn't have picked Vice President Trump to be vice president, though I think she was not qualified to be president,'" Trump wrote.
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"Great job, Joe!"
The former president also had some thoughts on the president's commander-in-chief confusion.
Toe-curling moment Joe Biden introduces Zelensky as 'Putin' - before mistaking Kamala Harris for 'Vice President Trump'
"Crooked Joe: 'I'm following the advice of my commander-in-chief...my...my....my," the business mogul wrote.
After the conference, a reporter addressed Biden's blunders, saying, "Trump is using your gaffe from the beginning to mock you and question your fitness for office, what do you say to that?"
Biden replied, "Listen to him."
But that wasn't the president's only misstep on Thursday.
Biden's post-debate gaffes
President Joe Biden's gaffes have increased at an alarming rate over the past few years.
- Biden alarmingly described himself as a "Black woman" during a radio interview with Philadelphia station WURD on Thursday.
- "I'm proud to be, as I said, the first vice president, first black woman… to serve with a black president," Biden said, appearing to confuse himself with Vice President Kamala Harris.
- Biden previously served as VP to President Barack Obama, the US' first black president, which is likely the source of his confusion.
- The president also attempted to go off-script and insult rival, Donald Trump, while addressing military families during the White House's Fourth of July barbecue.
- While Biden came in strong, he fumbled his word and came crashing down.
- "By the way, you know I was at that World War I cemetery in France and a - the one that one of our colleagues, a former president, didn't want to go and be up there," Biden said in an apparent dig at former president Donald Trump.
- "I probably shouldn't even say that. Anyway," he continued as his voice dimmed.
- After shocking the audience, he quickly went back on script and tried to get the energy back up.
- He introduced Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as "President Putin" at the NATO conference.
- He then mixed up Vice President Kamala Harris with Donald Trump.
BIDEN'S BLUNDERS
During a separate speech earlier in the afternoon, the president mistakenly introduced Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky as Russia's Vladimir Putin.
The 81-year-old president introduced Zelensky as "President Putin."
While addressing the Walter E. Washington Convention Center at the Ukraine Compact initiative, Biden said, "Now I want to hand over to the President of Ukraine, who has as much courage as he has determination. Ladies and gentlemen, President Putin."
As Biden went to greet Zelensky, who was standing behind him, he corrected his mistake.
"Going to beat President Putin, President Zelensky. I am so focused on beating Putin," Biden said.
Biden's confusion didn't stop the new British Prime minister, Sir Keir Starmer, from praising his performance during a bilateral meeting held in the White House on Wednesday.
"We had a really good bilateral yesterday, we were billed for 45 minutes, we went on for the best part of an hour, we went through a huge number of issues at pace."
"He was actually on really good form."
Starmer also debunked criticism of Biden being "senile," saying the president deserved credit for everything he accomplished during the NATO summit.
“I would urge everyone to look at the substance of what’s been achieved over these two days," the prime minister said.
"We have a bigger NATO, more countries, we have a stronger NATO, we have a real sense of resolve."
"The third of the sessions, the council sessions, was the session with President Zelensky there in relation to Ukraine," he continued.
"It was a session that he described as a success because of the package coming out of it, and President Biden led through all of that. That is an incredible achievement of this council."
QUESTIONS REMAIN
On the heels of the president's poor debate performance, questions remain about his mental acuity.
Biden didn't appear to be in such good form during a radio interview last week when he called himself a "black woman."
In a July 5 interview with Philadelphia station WURD, Biden said, "I'm proud to be, as I said, the first vice president, first black woman… to serve with a black president."
The president seemingly confused his time serving as vice president to the first black president Barack Obama and his current vice president Kamala Harris, the first black female VP.
Throughout the radio interview, the president also commented on his upsetting performance during the first presidential debate.
"I had a bad debate. But 90 minutes on stage doesn't erase what I've done for three and a half years," the president said, echoing Harris' sentiments immediately following the debate.
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Leaders across the Democratic Party, along with other noteworthy supporters such as actor George Clooney, have called for Biden to step down following his dismal debate against Trump.
"It’s devastating to say it, but he is not the same man he was, and he won’t win this fall," Clooney wrote in an op-ed published by The New York Times.
"I love Joe Biden. As a senator. As a vice president and as president. I consider him a friend, and I believe in him."
"But the one battle he cannot win is the fight against time."
Clooney blamed the Democratic Party for ignoring the "warning signs" of Biden's declining mental health.
Despite pleas from his colleagues and other party members, Biden remains adamant that he will be the one taking on Trump in November.
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"I'm not in this for my legacy," Biden said during the conference on Thursday night.
"I'm in this to complete the job I started."