At a press conference after the conclusion of this week’s NATO summit on Thursday, President Joe Biden referred to Vice President Kamala Harris as “Vice President Trump.”
The apparent gaffe, the first he made at the press conference, came in response to a question about whether he had concerns about Harris’s ability to beat Trump if she were at the top of the ticket.
“Look, I wouldn’t have picked Vice President Trump to be vice president if I didn’t think she was not qualified to be vice president,” said Biden.
Q: “What concerns do you have about Vice President Harris’ ability to beat Donald Trump if she were at the top of the ticket?
President Biden: Look, I wouldn’t have picked Vice President Trump to be vice president if I didn’t think she was not qualified to be vice president. pic.twitter.com/TqqSKBsyQu
— CSPAN (@cspan) July 11, 2024
Biden later reaffirmed his confidence in Harris’s ability to serve, praising “the way she’s handled the issue of freedom of women’s bodies” and “her ability to handle almost any issue on the board.”
At the end of the press conference, Biden was asked for his reaction to Trump mocking the mix-up on Truth Social.
“Listen to him,” Biden replied.
Reporter: Earlier you misspoke, you referred to VP Harris as VP Trump. Trump is using that to mock you. How do you combat that criticism?
Biden: Listen to him pic.twitter.com/lNHn5LZgpE
— Acyn (@Acyn) July 12, 2024
Earlier this evening, Biden referred to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as “President Putin” before quickly correcting himself.
President Biden: “And now I want to hand it over to the president of Ukraine, who has as much courage as he has determination, ladies and gentleman, President Putin.” He immediately corrects himself, “He’s going to beat President Putin. President Zelenskyy.” pic.twitter.com/VIqDxC8NCS
— CSPAN (@cspan) July 11, 2024
The press conference came at a crucial time for the president’s political viability, with the number of Democratic lawmakers calling for him to step aside continuing to grow.
Biden has insisted since his disastrous debate performance that he will remain in the race, defying those calls so far.
