At a NATO summit, US President Joe Biden mistakenly introduced Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky as his Russian adversary, Vladimir Putin, just before his first solo press conference in eight months, which could significantly impact his reelection campaign.
Biden, 81, quickly corrected his mistake, and Zelensky humorously remarked that he was “better” than Putin. However, the slip-up fueled ongoing concerns about Biden’s age and mental sharpness, especially following a poor debate performance against Donald Trump two weeks prior.
“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 while announcing a NATO-Ukraine compact at the summit in Washington.
After briefly turning away from the lectern, Biden returned, exclaiming: “President Putin! He’s going to beat President Putin. President Zelensky – I’m so focused on beating Putin we got to worry about it. Anyway, Mr. President.”
Zelensky, a former television comedian turned Ukraine’s wartime leader against Russia’s 2022 invasion, responded, “I’m better.”
Biden’s Republican opponents quickly circulated the clip. The timing of the verbal error was particularly unfortunate, as a growing number of Democrats have called for Biden to withdraw from the 2024 race.
Hollywood actor and influential Democratic supporter George Clooney has urged Biden to exit the race, and prominent party figure Nancy Pelosi has hesitated to fully endorse him.
Currently, around 14 Democratic members of the House of Representatives and one Democratic senator have publicly asked Biden to step aside. A recent poll revealed that more than half of Democrats believe Biden should end his bid for a second term, with two-thirds of Americans agreeing he should quit the race.
Source: The Australian.
