Following the NATO summit in Washington, D.C. earlier this week, President Biden gave a rare solo press conference as he tries to recover and ground and regain the trust of the Democratic Party and American voters. However, the event only seems to have worsened the public perception of the president’s age and cognitive fitness amid the numerous gaffes and misstatements at the event.
The event, in an infantilizing manner, was referred to as a “big boy” press conference by the White House. The public engagement with members of the press was intended to be a showcase of Biden’s ability to cogently conduct himself on the spot and dispel the rampant concerns that he is not fit for a second term in the Oval Office. However, the exact opposite happened when the commander-in-chief delivered several high-profile blunders.
One particular moment that critics found strange was when Biden deployed his trademark whisper, where he often lowers his voice in an unusual manner while trying to emphasize points during his speeches. “We had the treasury department do a study,” Biden said before breaking into the whisper, continuing, “When unions do better everybody does better.” Watch the incident below:
The American Tribune reported on another incident in which the president referred to Vice President Kamala Harris as “Vice President Trump.” Biden said, “Look, I wouldn’t have picked Vice President Trump to be vice president [if] I think she’s not qualified to be president,” clearly meaning to refer to Kamala Harris. Cameras were also focused on Biden’s team sitting together in a row, capturing their reactions to the head of the executive branch making the blunder. Secretary of State Antony Blinken can be observed visibly cringing at the comment.
Former President Donald Trump took to his Truth Social platform to comment on Biden’s mistake. “Crooked Joe begins his “Big Boy” Press Conference with, “I wouldn’t have picked Vice President Trump to be vice president, though I think she was not qualified to be president.” Great job, Joe!” Trump said, deploying overt sarcasm.
Moreover, just hours before the press conference, Biden was introducing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in front of world leaders at the NATO summit when he mistakenly referred to him as Russian President Vladimir Putin, the very nation which Ukraine is at war with. “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.
Immediately after Biden’s mistake, Zelensky pauses in confusion, processing what the president just said. A couple of seconds later Biden realizes his misstatement as he begins to walk away from the podium. He steps back to the microphone to correct himself, stating, “President Putin … we’re gonna beat President Putin.” Zelensky can then be seen shaking his head. Watch the incident below:
During the presidential debate late last month, Biden delivered an abysmal performance against Donald Trump, which many have claimed is irrefutable evidence of the president’s declining mental and physical health. Subsequently, there have been ongoing calls for Biden to step down. However, the incumbent has maintained thus far that he will remain in the race.
Note: The featured image is a screenshot from the embedded video.
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