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Several of President Joe Biden's senior officials appeared to react awkwardly when the president mistakenly referred to Vice President Kamala Harris as former President Donald Trump during his "big boy" press conference at the NATO Summit.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan were all seated in the front row when Biden participated in a live press conference at the Washington Convention Center Thursday (July 11) night.
"Look, I wouldn't have picked Vice President Trump to be vice president if I think she's not qualified to be president. So let's start there," Biden responded when asked if he felt his vice president was suited to serve as a presidential candidate amid rumors of Harris potentially stepping in as a replacement to be the Democratic presidential nominee.
Blinken, who had publicly praised Biden in the days following his disastrous first debate performance, appeared to dropped his head slightly after the gaffe. Sullivan put his hand up to his mouth before balling it into a fist and placing it on his chin.
Austin sat stone-faced during the mistake, slightly nodding his head at one point as Biden continued. The president experienced an earlier public flub when he introduced Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as Russian President Vladimir Putin, mistakenly referencing the man who launched an invasion on Zelensky's country in February 2022, during the NATO event.
“Now, I want to hand it over the president of Ukraine, who has as much courage as he has determination. Ladies and gentleman, President Putin," Biden said before correcting himself. "President Putin? He’s going to beat President Putin. President Zelensky. I'm so focused on beating Putin, we've got to worry about it. Anyway, Mr. President.”
“I’m better,” Zelensky responded.
“You are, a hell of a lot better,” Biden said.
The live event gaffes came amid reports of uncertainty regarding the president's re-election campaign as a top campaign official reportedly told at least one megadonor that Biden's withdrawal from the 2024 election is "only a matter of time" privately according to TMZ, as well as multiple Democratic officials publicly calling for him to drop out. The official reportedly said that focus had shifted from singular support of the president's re-election to "Democrats have to retain The White House" following Biden's disastrous performance in the first presidential debate against former President Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee.
Biden, the oldest president in history, appeared opposite Trump on the debate stage for the first time since the 2020 election and did little to quell concerns about his vigor and energy. The president appeared to struggle with his voice, clearing his throat and coughing multiple times, and was often seen open-mouthed and staring when Trump spoke, occasionally struggling to finish sentences.
Biden's performance reportedly led to "panic" among Democrats, according to longtime Democratic operative and CNN senior political commentator David Axelrod.
“He seemed a little disoriented. He did get stronger as the debate went on. But by that time, I think the panic had set in,” Axelrod said, adding that "there are going to be discussions about whether he should continue.”