During the NATO Summit, US President Joe Biden mistakenly referred to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as “President Putin” when introducing him.
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The incident occurred during Biden’s speech praising NATO's strength, prompting audible gasps from diplomats and world leaders in attendance, as reported by the Times.
Several individuals called out “Zelensky!” to correct Biden’s mistake. He quickly corrected himself, saying, “We’re going to beat President Putin. President Zelensky. I was so focused on beating Putin.”
Zelensky responded with a handshake, saying, “I am better,” to which Biden replied, “You are a helluva lot better.”
“The mistake is likely to turn up the volume on calls for him to drop out of the race after his disastrous debate performance raised questions about his mental acuity,” the Times wrote.
As the European Pravda reported, Biden later had to apologize for his blunder at a press conference after the NATO summit in Washington.
When asked whether such blunders would harm the United States’ position in the world, Biden again slipped up, saying “Putin” instead of “Zelensky” before immediately correcting himself and apologizing.
“I spoke about Putin and at the very end I said about Putin, no, I’m sorry, Zelensky,” Biden said.
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Additionally, during the final press conference, Biden, responding to questions about his continued participation in the race and the possibility of Vice President Kamala Harris taking over, made another mistake by mixing up her last name, referring to her as “Trump.”
“Look, I wouldn’t have picked Vice President Trump to be vice president if she was not qualified to be president. So start there,” Biden said.
The US president did not notice his mistake and continued to affirm the readiness of the current US vice president for her role. However, he dismissed the idea of withdrawing from the race, asserting that he considered himself the most qualified candidate.
The NATO Summit took place in Washington from July 9 to 11, marking the alliance’s 75th anniversary. The program included Biden’s opening speech, a three-hour meeting, and a dinner with world leaders. As the host, Biden was expected to attend all key events.
According to a Politico report based on conversations with 20 sources associated with the alliance, diplomats and world leaders have expressed doubts about US President Biden’s age, health, and chances of re-election.
While many of these officials support Biden’s re-election to prevent a return of Donald Trump, they have expressed “acute concern” about Biden’s recent debate performance, which left them anxious about his readiness to lead and address ongoing political challenges.
“It doesn’t take a genius to see that the president is old,” said one official from a European NATO country. “We’re not sure that, even if he wins, he can survive four years more.”
Biden’s team went into damage-control mode after the debate, where he often hesitated, tripped over words, and lost his train of thought – exacerbating fears about his fitness to serve another term.
Another EU official described the debate as “painful to watch,” highlighting concerns over Biden’s ability to secure another term and avoid a resurgence of Trump.
Diplomats are reportedly less concerned about Biden’s physical condition and more about his political standing and chances of re-election.
Earlier, Biden reaffirmed his commitment to the 2024 presidential race despite growing calls for him to step down following a lackluster debate performance.
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