Joe Biden is is back with his gaffes. After wrongly naming Alexie Navalny's widow Yulia Navalnaya as Yolanda last week, the US President made made yet another verbal slip-up during a recent address at the Annual National Governors' Association in the East Room of the White House,
While discussing former President Barack Obama's instructions to acquaint himself with then-Vice President Xi Jinping of China, Biden momentarily referred to Xi as the "Head of Russia" before quickly correcting himself. This latest gaffe adds to a series of recent incidents where Biden has stumbled over names and geopolitical facts.
In his speech, Biden recounted Obama's directive for him to engage with Xi Jinping due to concerns about Russia, stating, "He (Obama) wanted me to get to know (then Vice President) Xi Jinping because it was clear he was going to be the head of Russia (corrects himself) uh, China..." However, this slip up was not the only notable moment from Biden's speech.
Biden also reiterated a debunked claim about traveling 17,000 miles with Xi Jinping, which various local news outlets had previously refuted.
Despite clarifications from fact-checkers, Biden claimed, "He (Obama) couldn't because he was the President, so I traveled 17,000 miles with him throughout the country, in our country and in China as well."
This incident follows a pattern of recent verbal missteps by the 46th President. During a press conference concerning Israel-Hamas truce negotiations, Biden struggled to recall the name of the Palestinian militant group Hamas, leading to criticism and backlash online.
Eventually, with some guidance, Biden acknowledged his error, stating, "Yes, I am sorry, from Hamas."
Moreover, in another speech, Biden confused French President Emmanuel Macron with France's former leader François Mitterrand, who died nearly three decades ago. While recounting a conversation with Macron during a G7 meeting in 2020, Biden mistakenly referred to Mitterrand as the Chancellor of Germany instead of acknowledging him as the former President of France.
These incidents raise concerns about Biden's verbal and mental acuity and attention to detail, particularly regarding geopolitical matters and diplomatic relations. Critics argue that such missteps could undermine the credibility of the United States on the international stage.
The White House has not issued an official statement addressing these recent verbal missteps by Biden.
