JOE BIDEN ACCIDENTALLY referred to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as “President Putin” when inviting him to speak at the closing ceremony of the Nato leaders summit in Washington D.C. this evening.
Seconds after making the mistake, the US President returned to the podium and said: “President Putin? We’re going to beat President Putin. I’m so focused on beating Putin we gotta worry about it. Anyway.”
The Ukrainian President steps to the podium and said “I’m better”, before continuing with his address to the summit.
BREAKING: Joe Biden mistakenly refers to Volodymyr Zelenskyy as 'President Putin'
— Sky News (@SkyNews) July 11, 2024
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Biden is already under the watchful eye of his party this evening as he prepares to hold a high-stakes press conference.
The 81-year-old is fighting to maintain his position as the Democratic Party candidate in November’s election and has been swatting away criticisms, including from his own party, that he is too old to run for a second term or that he won’t be capable to govern for a further four years.
The incumbent’s campaign spiralled into disarray after his performance in the first televised election debate with Donald Trump, which triggered panic among Democrats and calls for the sitting US president to pull out of the race.
Tonight will be the first time Biden has appeared in front of reporters since the debate and one of the first times in this year that he is set to face the public without reading from teleprompters.
Biden will be under close scrutiny to show he can handle a rare unscripted exchange with reporters.
Any further missteps this evening could turn the trickle of Democrats who have so far urged him to abandon his 2024 election bid into a flood.
In an interview last Friday night with ABC News, Biden refused to take a cognitive test and claimed that his job is a daily cognitive test. During the interview he blamed his meek debate performance on jetlag and a cold.
On Monday, he wrote to elected party members in Washington DC and doubled down, penning: “I wouldn’t be running if I did not absolutely believe I was the best person to beat Donald Trump in 2024.”
Biden declined to step aside in his letter, adding that 87% of the Democratic Party had already supported his candidacy and his record as president so far proves that he is the contestant worthy of winning the election.
Yesterday, Democratic Party veteran Nancy Pelosi said that time is running out for US President Joe Biden to make a final decision on his reelection bid, but stressed the call was his to make.
Pelosi – the former speaker of the House of Representatives and an influential voice in the party – suggested the president still could step aside amid a Democratic divide over his candidacy.
Actor George Clooney also weighed into the debate about Biden’s staying in the race with an opinion piece in the New York Times yesterday, in which he argued the incumbent should drop out.
“Was he tired? Yes. A cold? Maybe. But our party leaders need to stop telling us that 51 million people didn’t see what we just saw,” he wrote in his op-ed.
Around 14 Democratic members of the House of Representatives have also openly urged the man who beat Trump four years ago to drop out, along with one Democratic senator.
The press conference kicks off at 11.30pm Irish time (6:30 pm local time).
Contains reporting from © AFP 2024
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