The mistake is likely to accelerate calls among congressional Democrats for the 81-year-old to end his bid for a second term.
President Biden drew gasps Thursday evening when he referred to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as “President Putin” — confusing him with the Russian tyrant whose forces have invaded Ukraine for the past two-and-a-half years.
“And now I want to hand it over to the president of Ukraine, who has as much courage as he has determination,” Biden said. “Ladies and gentlemen, President [Vladimir] Putin. “
Many in the auditorium appeared to wince as the words left the president’s lips. One audience member shouted, “Zelensky!” in an attempt to correct the 81-year-old Biden.
World leaders onstage appeared unsure of whether to clap to welcome Zelensky or wait for Biden to correct himself.
The US president quickly apologized for the embarrassing flub, saying it happened because he was “so focused on beating” the Kremlin strongman.
“President Putin? We’re going to beat President Putin – President Zelensky. I’m so focused on beating Putin, we got to worry about it,” Biden said.
