President Joe Biden mistakenly referred to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as “President Putin” during a NATO event Thursday—the latest gaffe from the president as he faces calls to withdraw from the presidential election over concerns about his mental acuity.
Key Takeaways
- Biden introduced Zelensky as “President Putin,” referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is waging a war against Ukraine that began in 2022.
- Biden quickly corrected himself, while Zelensky replied to Biden’s gaffe in a joking manner, saying, “I’m better [than Putin].”
- “You are a hell of a lot better,” Biden told Zelensky after correcting himself, blaming his mistake on being “so focused on beating Putin.”
- The timing of Biden’s verbal miscue is highly problematic for the president, who is being asked by a growing cohort of Democrats to cease his run for reelection as concerns mount regarding his mental acuity and chances of defeating former President Donald Trump.
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Key Background
Biden, 81, has rejected calls for him to drop out of the race, saying this week he is “firmly committed” to running for reelection. More than 15 House Democrats, most recently including Rep. Greg Stanton, D-Ariz., Rep. Ed Case, D-Hawaii, and Rep. Brad Schneider, D-Ill., have asked the president to withdraw, with some lawmakers pitching Vice President Kamala Harris as a potential replacement for Biden.
Increasingly more Biden supporters believe the president should drop out, according to an ABC News/Ipsos/Washington Post poll. Trump leads Biden in the bulk of national surveys taken after the two candidates debated in late June, when scrutiny of Biden sharply grew after the president repeatedly stumbled over his words during the event.
