At a NATO event on Thursday, US President Joe Biden made two significant verbal errors, referring to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as “President Putin” and later calling Vice President Kamala Harris “Vice President Trump.” These gaffes have heightened concerns about Biden’s age and fitness for a second term.
Biden was joined by 32 allies and foreign leaders to announce the “Ukraine Compact,” a new initiative to support Ukraine in its ongoing conflict with Russia. While inviting Zelenskyy to speak, Biden mistakenly referred to him as “President Putin.” “I want to hand it over to the President of Ukraine, who has as much courage as he has determination—please welcome President Putin,” Biden said. He initially began to walk offstage before realizing his mistake and returning to correct himself, adding, “Zelenskyy is gonna beat President Putin.” Zelenskyy responded lightly, saying, “I’m better,” to which Biden replied, “You’re a hell of a lot better.”
Shortly after, at a solo press conference, Biden made another error, referring to Kamala Harris as “Vice President Trump.” While answering the first question, he said, “Look, I wouldn’t have picked Vice President Trump to be vice president [if] I think she’s not qualified to be president.” This statement came as top Democrats, including Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, looked on with serious expressions. Biden’s responses at the press conference initially seemed shaky, but he grew more composed as he continued to field questions from reporters.
These verbal slips come at a crucial time for Biden, who is facing increasing criticism over his age and mental sharpness, particularly after a poor debate performance against Republican rival Donald Trump last month. The press conference was viewed as a critical moment for Biden on the global stage, with growing calls from both allies and adversaries for him to withdraw from the 2024 presidential race.
So far, 13 of the 213 Democrats in the House and one of the Senate’s 51 Democrats have publicly urged Biden to end his re-election campaign. More Democrats may voice their concerns if Biden’s performance does not improve in the coming days.
Former President Donald Trump quickly capitalized on Biden’s mistakes, mocking him on his social media platform, Truth Social. Trump posted, “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.’ Great job, Joe!” When asked about Trump’s mockery, Biden laughed and retorted, “Listen to him.”
In an attempt to manage the fallout, Biden later tweeted a clever response to Trump’s jab, “By the way: Yes, I know the difference. One’s a prosecutor, and the other’s a felon,” referencing Trump’s conviction in the hush money case.
The twin gaffes have intensified the scrutiny on Biden’s campaign, with some Democrats publicly questioning his viability for re-election and opponents leveraging his errors to undermine his credibility. As the 2024 race heats up, Biden’s ability to navigate such challenges remains under the microscope.
