Biden struggles to say 'America' in new gaffe
Former President Joe Biden made an embarrassing new verbal blunder as he struggled to fully say the name of the country he once led. Biden, 83, was speaking at the International LGBTQ + Leaders Conference on Friday and made the gaffe while lashing out at 'the many crises caused by this administration.' 'We are one of the only countries in the world that time and again has come out of every crisis stronger than we entered into that crisis,' Biden started.
'We just have to get up. So long as we keep the faith, summon hope, we get back up and remember who in the hell we are.' Then, the former president tripped on his words when he got to his main point. 'We're the United States of Amerigotit,' Biden forcefully said. Immediately, he tried to salvage the gaffe - but it was too late. 'That's who we are,' Biden added, now leaving out the word which had just caused him difficulties. 'We're the US.'
Biden's speech came as he was given an award for advancing LGBTQ+ rights during his presidency. He used the occasion to rally against Donald Trump's administration, accusing it of using gay and lesbian rights as a 'wedge to further divide the country.' Biden urged Americans to 'work together' as he wrapped up his remarks shortly after seemingly having a hard time saying 'America.' He said: 'Let's keep this fight going. Let's win it together. Now. Not tomorrow, now.'
Biden's history of cringeworthy verbal blunders includes confusing Vice President Kamala Harris with Donald Trump and referring to his defense secretary Lloyd J. Austin III as 'that black man.' One particularly brutal gaffe happened at a NATO summit as Biden's candidacy in the 2024 US presidential election teetered perilously. Biden introduced Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as 'President Putin ', drawing gasps from those present and prompting them to immediately shout out the correct name.
'No, we're going to beat Putin,' Biden said, turning around to right his embarrassing flub. He blamed the mishap on supposedly being 'so focused' on defeating Putin in Russia 's war with Ukraine. Hours later, as he lauded his vice president Kamala Harris, Biden erroneously called her 'Vice President Trump.' He said: 'Look, I wouldn't have picked Vice President Trump (Harris) to be vice president did I think she was not qualified to be president. So, let's start there. Number one.'
Biden's gaffes stretch to when he praised the 'Congressional Black Caucus' during a speech to what was actually the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. He was celebrating Sister Norma Pimentel, executive director of Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley, for her gala award win moments before the mistake. Biden praised her for living the lessons based on the Gospel of Matthew before botching: 'The Congressional Black Caucus embodies those values.'
The former president's speeches have also raised eyebrows behind closed doors. In September 2023, Biden repeated the same story twice within moments at a private fundraising event in New York. According to a White House pool report of the event, he briefly spoke about his economic record and reflected on his decision to seek the presidency while talking 'about the events of Charlottesville in 2017' as the reason for his campaign.
'A few minutes later, he told the story again, nearly word for word,' the report added. Biden's extensive list of gaffes during his stay in the White House and decades-long political career culminated in a catastrophic debate against Trump in June 2024. He awkwardly stumbled through a performance in which he could not fully articulate his points or finish his sentences.
Biden's allies spent the weeks after the debate trying to assuage concerns about his fitness - but America's oldest leader ultimately dropped out of the presidential election the following month.
