The president of the United States, Joe Biden, committed an embarrassing gaffe during the launch event for the Ukraine Compact in Washington, D.C., mixing up Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky with Russian President Vladimir Putin. This occurred while he was hosting the initiative, aimed at establishing bilateral security agreements with Kiev and attended by NATO and EU leaders.
As the US president delivered a short speech, he prepared to hand over the podium to Zelensky when he mistakenly referred to him as “President Putin” in front of the audience. Upon realizing his error, Biden attempted to correct himself and invited Zelensky back to the stage, stating, “President Zelensky! I’m so focused on beating Putin, we [have] to worry about it… anyway… mister president.
Zelensky responded humorously with “I’m better,” which prompted Biden to reply, “You are a hell lot better.” The awkward moment was caught on camera and shared online, amusing viewers who witnessed the exchange.
Adding to the confusion, later in the evening, Biden mistakenly referred to his own Vice President, Kamala Harris, as Donald Trump, stating, “Look I wouldn’t have picked Vice President Trump to be vice president if she was not qualified to be president.” This gaffe occurred during a press conference when discussing concerns about his age and mental decline in relation to the upcoming 2024 election. Despite these incidents, Biden remains steadfast in his belief that he is the best candidate for the Democratic Party and has dismissed calls to suspend his reelection campaign.