WASHINGTON, July 11, 2024 (AFP) –
US President Joe Biden mistakenly introduced Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky as his Russian foe Vladimir Putin at a NATO summit Thursday in a blunder just hours before a press conference that could decide the fate of his reelection bid.
The 81-year-old quickly corrected himself, and Zelensky quipped that he was “better” than Putin, but the gaffe intensified concerns about Biden’s age and mental acuity after a disastrous debate performance against Donald Trump two weeks ago.
“And now I want to hand it over to the president of Ukraine, who has as much courage as he has determination, ladies and gentlemen, President Putin,” Biden said as he announced a NATO-Ukraine compact at the summit in Washington.
Biden turned away from the lectern before coming back and exclaiming: “President Putin! He’s going to beat President Putin. President Zelensky — I’m so focused on beating Putin we gotta worry about it. Anyway, Mr President.”
“‘I’m better,” replied Zelensky, a former television comedian turned Ukraine’s wartime leader against Russia’s 2022 invasion.
Biden’s Republican rivals were circulating the clip within minutes.
The verbal slip could not have come at a worse time as Biden is due later to give what the White House has called a “big boy” press conference on Thursday, his first major appearance since the debate.
The solo appearance, a rare unscripted encounter with reporters, comes amid growing calls in his Democratic Party for him to step asid. —
