Volodymyr Zelensky
Biden called Zelenskyi "Putin" and Harris "Trump"
Petter J Larsson,
Emil Forsberg,
Nelly Kronstrand
Updated 06.19 | Published 2024-07-11 23.48
During the NATO meeting, Joe Biden called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi "Putin".
Then he called Kamala Harris "Trump".
- I would not have chosen Vice President Trump as Vice President, if I did not think she could be President, he said during a press conference.
US President Joe Biden was nearing the end of his speech at the press conference at the NATO summit in Washington, preparing to hand over to Zelenskyi:
- Now I want to hand over to the President of Ukraine, who has as much courage as he has determination. Ladies and gentlemen: President Putin, he says before correcting himself.
- Putin? President Zelensky. I am so focused on winning against Putin, he says.
The double blunder - Harris became Trump
Zelensky laughed off the misstatement.
- I'm much better, he says - and gets the answer that "you're a hell of a lot better".
But Biden's critics aren't laughing. At least not those within their own party, where the voices demanding a new candidate for the autumn elections are unlikely to be silenced.
- He has to step down, one of Biden's campaign officials said anonymously to Sky news after the president confused the president of Ukraine with his worst enemy.
Later in the evening, Biden held a press conference. Then he blundered again.
When asked whether he thought Vice President Kamala Harris could shoulder the role of America's leader, he replied:
- I wouldn't have chosen Vice President Trump as Vice President, if I didn't think she could be President.
At one point, Biden mixed up Russia and China, but quickly corrected himself.
Blamed the staff
Biden also played down that he would have "realized his limits" after the last debate against Donald Trump in which he made what he called "a stupid mistake". Biden said he took "three important and intensive neurological tests."
- I just have to take it a little more calmly. For the next debate, I will not travel through 15 time zones a week before, he said.
Biden said that since the debate, Trump has basically only played golf while he has been to "about 20 major events, often with thousands of people in attendance."
- I love my staff, but they keep adding things to the schedule. I get shit for this from my wife, Biden said jokingly.
Defended by leaders
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who held a press conference after the NATO summit, was asked how he viewed Biden's cognitive capacity but declined to answer. The Labor leader said instead that the president "deserved credit" for how he handled the discussions around Ukraine.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said that "misstatements happen". France's leader Emmanuel Macron also defended Biden by saying that the president had been "detailed and precise" in their private conversations, writes Sky news.
Talked about Sweden
In his press conference, Biden said that the world leaders told him that "you have to win this". The president repeated several times that he was the best qualified for his job and said that he was behind both Finland and Sweden joining NATO.
- We had to do a lot of selling to some when it came to Sweden, especially in Turkey and other places, when it came to agreeing to expand, said Biden.
- But we expanded, and we are a hell of a lot stronger and safer because of it. And by the way, I got 50 other countries to support Ukraine.
The appearance lasted longer than any of Biden's previous press conferences during the campaign. He also touched on the situation in Gaza where he said it is time to end the war - and that Hamas was not popular in the West Bank right now.
Mocked by Trump
During the press conference, Donald Trump mocked his political opponent on his social media platform Truth Social.
"He begins his big-boy press conference by saying he didn't pick VP Trump for VP... good job, Joe!" Trump wrote.
When the press conference was over, Biden was asked one last question about Trump's taunt.
- Listen to him, said Biden and left the stage.
The slogan "listen to him" means that voters should hear what policies Trump really has, which is hidden behind the mockery of Biden's age. Taken out of context, critics said it sounded like Biden thought Trump had a point.
Biden later followed up Trump's mockery with a post on X in which he wrote that he could certainly separate Kamala Harris from the ex-president. In a response to Trump's post, Biden wrote: “By the way, I know the difference. One is a prosecutor, one is a criminal.”
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