Revealing footage has captured the moment members of Joe Biden’s cabinet reacted to his latest gaffe during his high-stakes press conference on Thursday night.
During what was tipped to be a critical briefing – as he seeks to win over growing skepticism about his competence to serve – the 81-year-old president mistakenly referred to his deputy Kamala Harris as “Vice President Trump”.
“Look, I wouldn’t have picked Vice President Trump, to be vice president, if I think she’s not qualified to be president,” Biden said, without correcting himself.
Biden’s Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan were sat in the audience during the stunning moment and their expressions were picked up on the C-SPAN cameras.
The top officials appeared crestfallen and dismayed by the gaffe, seemingly trying not to react too significantly – closing their eyes and looking at the floor in silent dejection.
Sullivan is seen in the footage raising his hand to his mouth, running his fingers over his lips in anxious embarrassment, his expression wide-eyed and glum.
A clip of the moment went viral on social media.
Biden had called the “big boy press conference” on the sidelines of a major Nato summit in Washington DC as part of his ongoing effort to convince the American electorate, his fellow Democrats and the media that he remains the right man to take on Donald Trump in the 2024 race, in light of his disastrous debate performance last month.
In the briefing, the president answered 19 queries from 10 reporters, speaking for just under an hour, but his latest blunder inevitably undermined his best efforts to set the record straight.
It came just hours after another embarrassing senior moment earlier in the day when Biden confused Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky with his hated Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, introducing him as “President Putin”.
That time, Biden quickly recognized his slip and returned to the podium to correct himself: “President Putin? He’s going to beat President Putin. President Zelensky. I’m so focused on beating Putin.”
Zelensky generously brushed the matter aside with a quip, saying simpy: “I’m better.”
“You’re a hell of a lot better,” Biden added.
In the high-stakes press conference, Biden – who frequently cleared his throat and garbled his responses – was hit with numerous questions about his viability as he navigated relatively complex statements about American foreign policy.
The president insisted he is staying in the 2024 race and remained optimistic about his chances and his political future, pointing to his record in office and renewed global alliances during this week’s summit.
“The fact is, I’m the most qualified person to beat Trump. I beat him once, I’ll beat him again,” Biden declared.
“Where’s Trump been?” he said at one point. “Riding around on his golf cart, filling out a scorecard before he hits the ball?”
Asked whether he can reassure Americans that he won’t have further “bad nights” like his admittedly “stupid mistake” of a debate performance, Biden said there is “no indication” that his work is “slowing down.”
“Am I getting the job done? Can you name me somebody who has gotten more major pieces of legislation passed in three and a half years?” he said.
“I created 2,000 jobs just last week. If I slow down and can’t get the job done, that’s a sign that I shouldn’t be doing it. But there’s no indication of that yet. None.”
