US President Makes Two Embarrassing Blunders

Faced with calls from his own party to drop out of the presidential race, today’s high-stakes media appearances Joe Biden were meant to reassure Democrats and voters that he had four more years in office.

If anything, concerns will only grow after he made two embarrassing gaffes: confusing Vice President Kamala Harris with Donald Trump, just hours after calling Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy President Putin.

Joe Biden speaks at his first solo press conference in eight months. (Bloomberg)

Asked about Harris’s ability to replace him, Biden said: “I would not have chosen Vice President Trump to be vice president if I did not think she was qualified to be president. First of all, I would start there.”

Previously, he mistakenly referred to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as “President Putin.”

“I want to turn it over to the President of Ukraine, who has both courage and determination. Please welcome President Putin,” Biden said.

President Joe Biden, left, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the NATO summit. — President Joe Biden and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the NATO summit. (AP)

The president’s last similar outing was nearly eight months ago, when he took questions from reporters after his summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping in California.

At that press conference, Biden called on reporters from four organizations, one of which asked two questions.

White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre stepped in to end the news conference after the fourth reporter, though Biden then took nine additional questions.

Biden’s last joint press conference was at the G7 summit last month.

Biden says he is 100% in favor of the proposal, although some of his aides have personal doubts.

US President Joe Biden made two mistakes during his speech in Washington. (AP)

Although Biden has expressed confidence in his chances, his campaign acknowledged today that they are behind schedule, and a growing number of aides to the president in the White House and within the campaign are privately harboring doubts about the president’s ability to turn things around.

But they are taking their cue from Biden, claiming he is 100% in the race – unless and until he is not, and there appears to be no organized internal effort to convince the president to step down.

A reporter asked Biden today about his 2020 campaign position as a “bridge candidate” to pass the torch to a younger generation.

“What has changed is the gravity of the situation that I inherited in terms of the economy, foreign policy and internal division,” he said.

“I realized that my long time in the Senate had given me the wisdom to know how to deal with Congress and get things done.

“I’ve passed other important laws that no one would have imagined and I want to finish them… see them through.”

He suggested he would stay in the race while democracy was “under siege,” citing the conservative Supreme Court and the specter of presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump returning to the presidency.

“But the other reason I didn’t want to pass the torch to another generation is that I have to finish this job,” he said.

“I have to finish this job because there is so much at stake.”

His allies were well aware that as the week approached, more and more voices would call for his resignation, and they had prepared for it.

It’s unclear how many lawmakers — or movie stars — it would take for Biden to reconsider, or whether that number even exists.