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Toe-curling moment Joe Biden introduces Zelensky as ‘Putin’ – before mistaking Kamala Harris for ‘Vice President Trump’
Watch the video to see Biden's painful gaffes
JOE Biden has mistakenly introduced Volodymyr Zelensky as "President Putin" before mixing up Kamala Harris with Donald Trump.
The 81-year-old US President's latest set of toe-curling gaffes came just hours apart as he hosts the Nato summit amid growing calls for him to stand down from the re-election campaign.
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The Democratic candidate has faced serious questions over his mental state in recent weeks as he begins to come face-to-face with Republican rival Trump at the polls in November.
Addressing the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, he said: "Now I want to hand over to the President of Ukraine, who has as much courage as he has determination. Ladies and gentleman, President Putin."
Biden quickly corrected himself as he greeted Zelensky - the man who has tried to stop Putin decimating his country for over two years - onto the stage.
"Going to beat President Putin, President Zelensky. I am so focused on beating Putin," Biden went on to say.
Speaking at a separate press conference later in the evening, Biden then confused his Vice President Harris with his political foe Trump.
Asked what concerns he has about his second-in-command's ability to beat former President Trump if she was running in his place, he gave a baffling response.
He said confusingly: "Look, I wouldn't have picked Vice President Trump to be Vice President... do I think she's not qualified to be President...so let's start there."
New British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer praised Biden throughout the evening as he says he deserves "credit" for the NATO summit.
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Responding to questions about Biden’s mental capacity after the Putin misstep, the Labour leader told reporters: “I would urge everyone to look at the substance of what’s been achieved over these two days.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer says Joe Biden Is on 'good form'
“We have a bigger NATO, more countries, we have a stronger NATO, we have a real sense of resolve.
"The third of the sessions, the council sessions, was the session with President Zelensky there in relation to Ukraine.
“It was a session that he described as a success because of the package coming out of it, and President Biden led through all of that. That is an incredible achievement of this council.
“When we think of the global threats, that is the best possible outcome we could have had today and so I think he deserves credit for that, as does the team that worked with him.
“We close this council with renewed confidence and resolve to meet the challenge of Russian aggression. That is the outcome we all hoped we would get to and President Biden led us through that.”
Sir Keir had previously hit back at claims the POTUS is "senile" as he attempts to run for a second term against old foe Donald Trump.
He defended his American counterpart after holding an hour-long bilateral meeting in the White House, amid the NATO summit this week.
When asked by the BBC whether Biden was senile after an increasing number of people are implying that he is, the PM slapped it down.
He said: "No, we had a really good bilateral yesterday, we were billed for 45 minutes, we went on for the best part of an hour, we went through a huge number of issues at pace.
"He was actually on really good form."
The Putin gaffe came shortly before the highly anticipated news conference where Biden was hoping to convince fellow Democrats that he can carry on in the high-pressure job for another term.
So far, 13 of the 213 Democrats in the House and one of the Senate's 51 Democrats have appealed publicly to the president to withdraw from the race.
Biden's post-debate gaffes
President Joe Biden's gaffes have increased at an alarming rate over the past few years.
- Biden alarmingly described himself as a "Black woman" during a radio interview with Philadelphia station WURD on Thursday.
- "I'm proud to be, as I said, the first vice president, first black woman… to serve with a black president," Biden said, appearing to confuse himself with Vice President Kamala Harris.
- Biden previously served as VP to President Barack Obama, the US' first black president, which is likely the source of his confusion.
- The president also attempted to go off-script and insult rival, Donald Trump, while addressing military families during the White House's Fourth of July barbecue.
- While Biden came in strong, he fumbled his word and came crashing down.
- "By the way, you know I was at that World War I cemetery in France and a - the one that one of our colleagues, a former president, didn't want to go and be up there," Biden said in an apparent dig at former president Donald Trump.
- "I probably shouldn't even say that. Anyway," he continued as his voice dimmed.
- After shocking the audience, he quickly went back on script and tried to get the energy back up.
- He introduced Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as "President Putin" at the NATO conference.
- He then mixed up Vice President Kamala Harris with Donald Trump
During his solo news conference, Biden responded to questions on a wide range of topics - including his fitness for another four years in the White House.
Biden's campaign has been on the ropes for two weeks, since his poor debate performance against Trump, 78.
Presidential advisers who met with Senate Democrats on Thursday to try to drum up Biden's campaign argued that the debate has not dramatically shifted the race.
They said it would aim to win undecided voters by shifting the focus to Trump, a convicted felon who faces two more criminal prosecutions for trying to overturn his 2020 election loss.
Four more Democrats in the House of Representatives on Thursday called on him to end his campaign: Brad Schneider of Illinois, Greg Stanton of Arizona, Ed Case of Hawaii, and Hillary Scholten of Michigan.
"For our country's sake, it is time for the President to pass the torch to a new generation of leaders," Stanton said in a statement.
Others stopped short of calling for Biden to drop out, even as they questioned his ability to lead the country.
"I doubt the President's judgement about his health, his fitness to do the job, and whether he is the one making important decisions about our country, rather than unelected advisers," Representative Marie Gluesenkamp Perez said.
In 2020, Joe Biden ran for President with the purpose of putting country over party. Today, I am asking him to do that again
Eric Sorensen
Democrat Congressman Eric Sorensen also called for Biden to stand down following his latest gaffes.
He said: "In 2020, Joe Biden ran for President with the purpose of putting country over party. Today, I am asking him to do that again.
"It is more important than ever that our neighbours have a candidate for President who will communicate a positive vision for every person in this country.
"Someone who can demonstrate the strength and wisdom needed to lead us through the worst storms."
He said he is "hopeful President Biden will step aside in his campaign for President".
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Wednesday declined to say he should stay in the race.
Biden campaign chair Jen O'Malley Dillon and other top aides met with Senate Democrats to shore up support. Some said afterward they were still uncertain about his ability to win.
The campaign has commissioned a survey to test how Harris would fare if she were to replace Biden at the top of the ticket, according to a source with knowledge of the matter.
A Reuters/Ipsos poll released last week found Harris would fare no better than Biden if she were the Democratic nominee, as both were statistically tied with Trump.
The New York Times reported that some longtime advisers were considering ways to convince him to drop his reelection bid, while NBC News reported that some campaign staffers thought he stood no chance of winning the election.
On Monday, Biden further re-emphasised his intention to run in another declaration.
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"The bottom line here is, we're not going anywhere. I'm not going anywhere," he said during an interview with NBC affiliate MSNBC.
Biden is now set to travel across the US to take part in campaign-related activities - starting in Detroit today and then to Delaware.
How could Biden be removed from race?
Calls for Joe Biden to end his reelection campaign have mounted since his poor presidential debate night performance on June 27
After the debate, the 81-year-old president's cognitive health concerns were once again a pressing topic among news outlets and his allies in the Democratic Party.
What has Joe Biden said about his future in the race?
- Biden has remained defiant and shot down calls for him to step aside in the upcoming presidential election.
- The Biden administration was forced to deny reports that the president confided to a close ally that he is considering withdrawing from the race.
- In a July 5 interview with ABC News, Biden said that "no one is more qualified" to win the race than him, adding only the "Lord Almighty" could convince him to resign.
- On July 8, Biden sent a scathing letter to Congressional DNC members who have called on him to step down.
- "I want you to know that despite all the speculation in the press and elsewhere, I am firmly committed to staying in this race, to running this race to the end, and to beating Donald Trump," the president wrote.
- Biden proceeded to slam "elites" in a live interview with MSNBC, daring any challenger to run against him.
How could Joe Biden be removed from the ballot?
- Since the June 27 debate night, a growing number of Congressional Democrats have called on Biden to end his reelection campaign.
- So far, five out of the 213 DNC members in Congress have publicly called for Biden to quit the race.
- As Biden continues to emphasize his status in the upcoming election, many are wondering whether the 25th Amendment should be used to oust him.
What is the 25th Amendment?
- The 25th Amendment of the Constitution states the vice president shall replace a president if they die in office or resign or if members of the president's cabinet declare the president is unable to fulfill the duties of their office.
- Labor Secretary Julie Su, who would need to invoke the 25th Amendment, called the idea "absurd."
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