Joe Biden accidentally referred to Vice President Kamala Harris as “Vice President Trump” as he answered his first question at a closely monitored, high-stakes press conference.
This incident occurred while he was under pressure from Democratic officials to terminate his re-election campaign against his Republican opponent.
Biden addressed several questions about his suitability for office and his viability as a candidate against Donald Trump. The concerns arose after the 81-year-old president seemed to falter during a presidential debate against Trump two weeks ago.
Biden arrived on stage on Thursday facing a directive from Democratic officials and voters to demonstrate he is capable of campaigning against Trump for the next four months, let alone serving another demanding four-year term in the White House.
“Look, I wouldn’t have picked Vice President Trump, to be vice president, if she’s not qualified to be president.” he said, before correcting himself.
Asked later whether he would step down if polling data showed that Harris would fare better against Trump, he whispered: “No one’s saying that.”
The president insisted he is staying in the race and remained optimistic about his chances and his political future, pointing to his record in office and renewed global alliances during this week’s NATO summit.
“The fact is,” Biden said, “I’m the most qualified person to beat Trump. I beat him once, I’ll beat him again.”
“Where’s Trump been,” he said at one point. “Riding around on his golf cart, filling out a scorecard before he hits the ball?”
His mistake with Harris’s name came just hours after he accidentally called Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky “President Putin.” He quickly caught his error, turning back to a lectern to say “we’re going to beat President Putin.”
“I’m so focused on beating Putin,” he said.
Zelensky appeared to shrug off the slip, joking “I’m better.”
“You’re a hell of a lot better,” Biden told him.
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