US President Joe Biden made major gaffes during the NATO summit on Thursday amid growing calls for him to resign, which grew after a lackluster debate against Republican rival Donald Trump.
At a press conference following the NATO Summit in Washington, Biden confused Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Trump shortly after confusing Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at a different event.
“I wouldn’t have chosen Trump”
Asked if Harris could beat Donald Trump if she decided not to run again, Biden said, “I would not have picked Vice President Trump as vice president if I didn’t think she was unqualified to be president.” His response was met with gasps and groans from reporters, The New York Post reported.
«Ladies and gentlemen, President Putin»
The 81-year-old US president, known for making several embarrassing linguistic gaffes and currently under scrutiny for his mental state, introduced Zelensky as Putin at a NATO ceremony before correcting himself. “I now want to turn the floor over to the president of Ukraine, who has both courage and determination. Ladies and gentlemen, President Putin,” Biden said.
He quickly corrected himself, saying: “I’m so focused on defeating President Putin that we have to worry about that.” But the momentary lapse quickly revived memories of his debate two weeks earlier against Trump: he had failed at his own task, to reassure the public that he still had his wits about him.
CAN’T STOP HIM! Biden: “I would not have chosen Vice President Trump as my vice president if she wasn’t qualified to be president.” image.twitter.com/KXaEI3KBWr
— DD Geopolitics (@DD_Geopolitics) July 11, 2024
“Good job, Joe”
Republican candidate Trump was quick to mock Biden as the US president made verbal gaffes during a high-stakes press conference. “Crooked Joe starts off his ‘Big Boy’ press conference by saying, ‘I would not have picked Vice President Trump for Vice President… Good job, Joe!’” Trump said on his Truth Social site.
In an attempt to allay concerns about his mental state as he seeks re-election, Biden said neurological exams determined he was “in good shape.” “I’ve had three major, intense neurological exams with a neurologist,” Biden said, the most recent in February. “And they say I’m in good shape.”
‘The most qualified’
The US president also denied he had to go to bed at 8pm, as he faced a barrage of questions from reporters about his disastrous debate performance that sparked calls for him to abandon his re-election bid. Reports of his early bedtime are “not true”, though he added: “Rather than starting every day at 7am and going to bed at midnight, it would be smarter for me to control myself a little bit more.”
Biden insisted he was the “most qualified” American to take on Trump in November’s presidential election. “I believe I am the most qualified person to run for president. I beat him once and I will beat him again,” Biden said, adding that he is “not in this for my legacy” but to “complete the job I started.”
(With contributions from the agency)
