In a recent verbal mix-up during his speech at the NATO summit, President Joe Biden mistakenly introduced Volodymyr Zelensky, the President of Ukraine, as “Putin” from Russia.
This incident has raised further concerns about the health of the United States President, especially following the first debate against Donald Trump held on Thursday night in Atlanta. Reports indicate that many members of the Democratic Party are considering urging Biden to withdraw from the presidential race, as there is still time before the elections on November 5.
⚡️EXTRA!
“Señoras y señores el presidente Putin”
Biden acaba de tener una confusión verbal en su mensaje en la OTAN y presentó a Zelensky , presidente de Ucrania, como “Putin” de Rusia.pic.twitter.com/XTbvXMm7HH
— Ariel Moutsatsos (@arielmou) July 11, 2024
Is Joe Biden’s Health Ok?
Despite Biden’s efforts to alleviate worries about his ability to hold one of the most critical positions in the world, the 81-year-old President made another blunder during the NATO summit in Washington, referring to Zelensky as Putin. Biden quickly corrected himself after realizing the mistake. Zelensky took the error with humor, remarking, “I am better.”
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This is not the first time Biden’s hesitations or slip-ups have made headlines worldwide. Over recent months, he has appeared disoriented, weak, and exhausted. He even admitted that he almost “fell asleep” during the first electoral debate due to fatigue from numerous travels in the past weeks. Biden described his debate performance as a “bad episode,” where he made several mistakes in his arguments. He struggled to complete his sentences, at one point abruptly stating, “Look, we finally beat Medicare.”
Biden’s opponent, Donald Trump, harshly criticized him, sarcastically responding, “Of course, he wrecked Medicare, he wrecked it to death, he’s destroying it.” Biden’s ability was questioned again when he concluded a sentence by saying, “The total initiative regarding what we’re going to do with more border patrols and more ‘asylum offers’.” Trump replied, “I really don’t know what he said at the end of that. I think he doesn’t know what he said either.”
Last month, The Wall Street Journal fueled the controversy surrounding Biden’s age, claiming he was experiencing cognitive decline. A video released on June 16 showed Biden standing still for over a minute during a concert organized by the White House while others, including Kamala Harris and George Floyd’s brother, danced and applauded to gospel singer Kirk Franklin.
A senior European official confirmed to The New York Times that Biden had shown noticeable physical and mental deterioration since last fall. Europeans were reportedly “shocked” by what they observed. Biden’s frequent confusions, such as referring to Vice President Kamala Harris as “President Harris,” calling the President of Mexico Abdel Fattah El-Sisi (the current head of state of Egypt), and claiming Russia was losing the war in Iraq, have become routine.
Debate over Biden’s capability persists. International Relations expert Miguel Ángel Benedicto stated, “The electoral campaign will focus on his figure, and there will be increasing scrutiny on how he performs, whether he articulates clearly, the arguments he uses, etc.” The controversy has created rifts within his own party. “Some members of the House of Representatives and Democratic lawmakers are asking Biden to leave the electoral campaign while others want him to continue,” Benedicto explains. “There’s a weakened Biden whom no one dares to confront. It seems no one wants to take responsibility for it, as if the party itself were becoming Trump-like.”