Biden Once Again Confuses Deceased Leader with Living Counterpart
In his second such mix-up within a week, US President Joe Biden once again confused a deceased European leader with a living one. During an election event, he mistakenly referred to meeting with former German Chancellor Helmut Kohl, who passed away in 2017, instead of Angela Merkel.
The 81-year-old president's latest slip came Wednesday night, following a similar error days before when he claimed to have spoken with the late French President François Mitterrand, instead of the current president, Emmanuel Macron. Biden was speaking about the same G7 summit that took place in June 2021.
President Biden, who is seeking re-election for a second term in November, often repeats the story of the summit held in Britain to highlight what he describes as global concerns about the January 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol by supporters of former President Donald Trump.
According to a media report, Biden said, "Helmut Kohl of Germany looked at me and said, 'Mr. President, what would you say if you picked up tomorrow's London Times and learned that a thousand people had broken down the doors of the British Parliament and killed [people] on their way in to prevent the Prime Minister from assuming office?'"
At the time of the summit, Angela Merkel, the former German Chancellor known for being the architect of Germany's reunification after the Cold War, was the leader in attendance. Helmut Kohl, who served as Chancellor for 16 years between 1982 and 1998, died in 2017.
This is the second time in recent days that Biden has made such a mistake.
At an election event in Las Vegas on Sunday, Biden was recounting French President Macron's reaction at the same G7 summit to his victory in the 2020 elections over Trump.
Biden said, "Mitterrand of Germany... I mean, of France, looked at me and said, 'You know What Why How long will it be before you return?'" However, the White House corrected the name to Macron, placing it in brackets in the statement issued.
François Mitterrand served as President of France from 1981 to 1995 and passed away in 1996.
Polls indicate that American voters are increasingly concerned about Biden's age, who will be 82 at the start of his second term and 86 at its end.
Voters seem less worried about the age of 77-year-old Donald Trump, who is also running for another presidential term, although he too has made some gaffes.
Recently, Trump confused his Republican nomination rival Nikki Haley with former US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Last year, Trump incorrectly identified Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban as the leader of Turkey, and he wrongly stated that the United States was on the brink of entering "World War II," which ended in 1945.
President Biden, who is seeking re-election for a second term in November, often repeats the story of the summit held in Britain to highlight what he describes as global concerns about the January 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol by supporters of former President Donald Trump.
According to a media report, Biden said, "Helmut Kohl of Germany looked at me and said, 'Mr. President, what would you say if you picked up tomorrow's London Times and learned that a thousand people had broken down the doors of the British Parliament and killed [people] on their way in to prevent the Prime Minister from assuming office?'"
At the time of the summit, Angela Merkel, the former German Chancellor known for being the architect of Germany's reunification after the Cold War, was the leader in attendance. Helmut Kohl, who served as Chancellor for 16 years between 1982 and 1998, died in 2017.
This is the second time in recent days that Biden has made such a mistake.
At an election event in Las Vegas on Sunday, Biden was recounting French President Macron's reaction at the same G7 summit to his victory in the 2020 elections over Trump.
Biden said, "Mitterrand of Germany... I mean, of France, looked at me and said, 'You know What Why How long will it be before you return?'" However, the White House corrected the name to Macron, placing it in brackets in the statement issued.
François Mitterrand served as President of France from 1981 to 1995 and passed away in 1996.
Polls indicate that American voters are increasingly concerned about Biden's age, who will be 82 at the start of his second term and 86 at its end.
Voters seem less worried about the age of 77-year-old Donald Trump, who is also running for another presidential term, although he too has made some gaffes.
Recently, Trump confused his Republican nomination rival Nikki Haley with former US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Last year, Trump incorrectly identified Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban as the leader of Turkey, and he wrongly stated that the United States was on the brink of entering "World War II," which ended in 1945.