Washington: At a NATO summit on Thursday, US President Joe Biden mistakenly introduced Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Biden, 81, quickly corrected himself, and Zelensky humorously remarked that he was “better” than Putin. This mistake occurred just hours before a press conference critical to Biden’s re-election prospects, raising concerns about his mental acuity, especially after a poor debate performance against Donald Trump two weeks earlier.
During the announcement of a NATO-Ukraine pact in Washington, Biden said: “And now I want to hand it over to the president of Ukraine, who has both courage and determination, ladies and gentlemen, President Putin.” After walking away from the lectern, Biden returned and said, “President Putin! You’re going to beat President Putin. President Zelensky, I’m so focused on beating Putin that we have to worry about that. Anyway, Mr. President.”
During a recent summit, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky laughed off a verbal slip by President Biden, despite the gasp it drew from the audience. Other leaders like German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, French President Emmanuel Macron, and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer have shown support for Biden, downplaying the significance of the gaffe.
Biden’s slip comes at a critical time, as he is scheduled to hold a major press conference later in the evening. This rare unscripted encounter with reporters is happening amid increasing pressure within the Democratic Party for him to step aside from his 2024 presidential bid.
High-profile Democrats, including actor George Clooney and Nancy Pelosi, have expressed concerns about Biden’s candidacy. A recent poll indicates that more than half of Democrats and two-thirds of Americans believe he should drop out. Despite this, Biden and Trump remain tied in support at 46%.
There are reports, denied by the White House, that Biden’s aides are quietly assessing Vice President Kamala Harris’s viability against Trump and discussing how to convince Biden to step aside. Critics have pointed to Biden’s reduced number of press conferences and interviews as a sign of his age affecting his performance.
Biden has attributed his debate performance issues to a cold and jet lag. His campaign responded to the criticism with a new ad campaign portraying Trump as submissive to Putin, emphasizing the importance of Biden’s leadership, especially concerning NATO allies’ fears about a potential Trump return.