Biden confuses Zelenskyy with Putin and his vice with Trump
US-President Biden, who intends to be re-elected to the White House in November, is under close scrutiny following the most contentious TV debate. At the NATO Summit's closing ceremony, Biden made a verbal slip that may have strengthened the doubters.
During the NATO Summit's closing ceremony in Washington, US-President Joe Biden made an embarrassing error: He mistakenly introduced his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy as Russian President Vladimir Putin. He quickly corrected himself.
Biden stood on stage with 32 allies and foreign heads of state to reaffirm their support for Ukraine. After speaking about the Russian aggression war, he intended to invite Zelenskyy to the podium: "I'd like to turn the word over to the Ukrainian president, who possesses as much courage and determination as I do - please welcome President Putin," said the US-President. Immediately, he corrected himself: "President Zelenskyy! He'll beat President Putin. I was so focused on beating President Putin" Biden said, while shaking Zelenskyy's hand. Zelenskyy took the gaffe in stride and retorted: "I'm better."
Harris and Trump mixed up
The 81-year-old Biden is under close scrutiny during his appearance at the NATO Summit. Following the disastrous TV debate against his challenger Donald Trump, doubts about the US-President's mental fitness for a second term have grown. Some donors have withdrawn their support, and resistance within his own party is waning. This latest slip may now strengthen those Democrats who want to prevent a second presidential campaign from Biden.
The solo press conference following the NATO Summit was seen as a test. Biden answered questions from journalists without a script or teleprompter, marking his first such appearance since November. Even in his first response, he once again mixed up names. In response to a question about his thoughts on Vice President Kamala Harris, he said: "See, I wouldn't have picked Vice President Trump as a vice president if I didn't think she was qualified for the presidency." Harris is widely considered the most likely backup candidate if Biden were to abandon his campaign.
Even amidst the pressure from doubters due to his performance in the United States Presidency Election 2024, Joe Biden faced another Challenge at the NATO Summit. During his speech, Biden mistakenly referred to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as Russian President Vladimir Putin, causing a moment of confusion. This incident came after Biden's controversial remarks in the aforementioned TV debate and the growing concerns about his mental fitness for another term among Democrats and some donors.
