President Joe Biden introduced Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as Russian President Vladimir Putin in a cringeworthy moment at a NATO conference on Thursday.
The inaccurate introduction is Biden’s most recent flub amid increasing skepticism over the 81-year-old president’s fitness for office, including from members of his own party.
“Now I want to hand it over to the president of Ukraine, who has as much courage as he has determination,” Biden said. “Ladies and gentlemen, President Putin.”
Putin has waged a yearslong war in Ukraine after invading the neighboring country in February 2022.
Biden quickly caught his mistake after mixing up the two leaders on stage.
“He’s gonna beat President Putin, President Zelenskyy,” Biden said. “I’m so focused on beating President Putin.”
Zelenskyy, for his part, appeared to make light of the situation, responding, “I’m better.”
“You are a hell of a lot better,” Biden said.
NATO leaders appeared to give halted applause following Biden’s mix-up, with some chuckling and smiling following his correction.
The gaffe comes as a growing number of Democrats publicly call on Biden to drop out of the 2024 election following his disastrous debate performance.
Vermont Sen. Peter Welch was the first Senate Democrat to urge Biden to end his reelection campaign, writing in a Wednesday op-ed that he no longer believes Biden to be the best candidate to beat former President Donald Trump come November.
Meanwhile, thirteen House Democrats and counting have called on Biden to step down as the party nominee.
Biden’s Thursday slip-up unfolded less than an hour before the president will face reporters in an unscripted, live press conference to wrap up the NATO summit in Washington, DC, this week.
Biden has a long history of eyebrow-raising gaffes. He previously acknowledged that his off-the-cuff speaking style has led to embarrassing mix-ups throughout his decades-long political career. On the campaign trail in 2019, Biden mistakenly said that “poor kids are just as smart as white kids.”
But the president is under an intensified microscope in the aftermath of his debate performance. Just days after he appeared confused onstage, Biden made headlines by saying he was “proud” to be the “first Black woman to serve with a Black president” during a radio interview.
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