But during the last day of the NATO summit, the 81-year-old US president's blunders came one after another:
- First, he introduced Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky as “President Putin” during a short speech just before midnight Norwegian time.
- Then, during a lengthy press conference at 1:30 a.m. Friday, Biden referred to Vice President Kamala Harris as “Trump.”
Watch the full press conference here:
Biden took the stage at 7:30 p.m. US time — two hours late. From the podium, he was questioned by reporters in the room.
When asked about the presidential campaign and whether he should retire, Biden said, among other things:
– I'm not doing this for my legacy. I'm doing this to finish the job I started.
– Ladies and gentlemen, President Putin
Putin's blunder occurred during an event marking new security agreements concluded by a number of NATO countries with Ukraine.
“And now I will hand over the stage to the president of Ukraine, who has courage and determination. Ladies and gentlemen, President Putin,” Biden said to the audience, turning to Zelensky.
Look what happened:
Jens Stoltenberg and several NATO heads of government were present. You could hear gasps in the room when Biden mistook Zelensky for Putin.
Biden corrected himself shortly after:
– President Putin and President Zelensky will be defeated. I am very focused on defeating Putin.
When Zelensky took the stage seconds later, he said the following:
“I am better than Putin,” the Ukrainian president joked.
Biden replied: – You are much better.
Zero control
Biden used a teleprompter script as he praised Ukraine and promised more American support, even after the day the war in Ukraine ends.
When VG contacted US expert Sophie Hogestal shortly afterwards, she had not yet seen the clip.
– Are you kidding?! Oh oh oh…
– Can he survive this?
– What we've seen recently is an open tug of war in the party between Biden supporters and those who think he should go. But right now… to me it's completely up in the air. I think no one is in control right now.
With VG on the line, Høgestøl sees the clip:
– In some ways, this is classic Biden. He's been a major politician since he was 30, and he's made verbal errors before, but he's not 30 anymore. He's 81!
– If he hadn't spent the last two weeks, she might not have thought about it so carefully.
She believes the Biden pimple clip will go viral on social media very quickly.
– On this day, this was the case. One What he shouldn't do. Biden Known He has to perform at a high level. Every word he says is carefully analyzed. And then it happens… and it's hard to recover.
American expert Eric Locke also followed the talks on Thursday evening.
– Biden is watched suspiciously for everything he says, so he wasn't entirely lucky. Fortunately, he got in quickly, otherwise it would have been very awkward. It is important that he continues to perform well at the press conference to avoid further question marks.
French President Emmanuel Macron has bought into Biden's nonsense.
– Such gossip could happen to anyone, including me.
Doubts about Biden
Many have questioned Biden as a presidential candidate. His colleagues have even called on Biden to resign. Sen. Peter Welch says he understands why Biden wants to run, but he thinks it’s a mistake.
“He saved us from Donald Trump once, and he wants to do it again. But he needs to reconsider whether he is the best candidate to do it. In my view, he is not. For the good of the country, I am asking President Biden to resign,” he wrote, among other things.
“I deliver this message with sadness,” Welch adds, “that Vermont loves Joe.”
Welch isn’t alone. Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet of Colorado has also asked Biden to consider whether he’s best suited to take on Trump, while Nespresso celebrity and actor George Clooney has called on Biden to resign.
“Coffee trailblazer. Certified pop culture lover. Infuriatingly humble gamer.”
