With Ukraine’s President Zelenskyy standing right beside him, U.S. President Joe Biden said, “And now I want to hand it over to the president of Ukraine, who has as much courage as he has determination. Ladies and gentlemen, President Putin.”
He moved away from the lectern momentarily before correcting himself. “President Putin? You’re going to beat President Putin. President Zelenskyy. I’m so focused on beating Putin we got to worry about it, anyway. Mr. President.” President Zelenskyy tried to make light of the situation saying, “I’m better.” Biden agreed. “You are a hell of a lot better.”
Zelenskyy may have come to Biden’s rescue, at least somewhat, but the damage was already done. It was always going to be a high-stakes event. The NATO summit in Washington had the eyes of the world on it and Biden under a microscope.
And he slipped up one more than one occasion.
After calling Ukraine’s President Zelenskyy ‘President Putin’, Biden at least corrected himself but during the press conference that took place later in the day, he misidentified his own Vice President Kamala Harris. When asked a question if Kamala Harris was fit to be at the top of the ticket, Biden answered, “Look, I wouldn’t have picked Vice President Trump to be vice president if she was not qualified to be president. So let’s start there.”
Trump jumped on the chance to have a go at Biden on the slip-up.
And Biden tried to recover with this comeback, when he wrote on X, “Yes, I know the difference. One is a prosecutor, other is a felon.”
Once again, during the press conference, he wanted to say chief of staff but ended up saying commander in chief before he corrected himself.
Biden has come under increasing scrutiny after a halting performance during the first Presidential debate in June.
The summit was supposed to help his campaign show that what happened on June 27 was an exception. But over the last few days voices of concern have become more vocal within his own party and supporters. Among them is Vermont Senator Welch and prominent donor for his campaign, actor George Clooney who have asked Biden to step down from the race (to save democracy). It’s something Biden has stridently opposed.
“The fact is that the consideration is that I think I’m the most qualified person to run for president. I beat him once and I will beat him again,” he said moments after he called his running mate Vice President Trump.
But the series of verbal slip-ups in just one day may only add to supporters and his party pushing even more to get Biden out of the race to the White House.
