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WASHINGTON: Twice in the past 24 hours, President Joe Biden has backtracked by confusing the US war in Iraq with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Speaking to reporters Wednesday on the South Lawn of the White House, Biden said Russian President Vladimir Putin had been weakened by a shocking insurrection by a mercenary group that played a crucial role in his war with Ukraine.
“He’s clearly losing the war in Iraq,” Biden said of Putin, apparently meaning to refer to Ukraine. “He is losing the war in his homeland, becoming a bit of a pariah around the world.”
Biden made a similar error while talking to donors Tuesday night at a fundraiser in Chevy Chase, Maryland, about his efforts to galvanize US allies to support Kiev.
“If anyone had told you—and my staff wasn’t sure—that we would be able to bring all of Europe together in attacking Iraq and make NATO completely united, I think they would have told you it’s not likely,” said the president, again meaning to say Ukraine.
He also spoke of his “new best friend” being “the prime minister of a small country that is now the largest in the world, China,” before correcting himself that he meant India.
Back in November, Biden also conflated Iraq and Ukraine during a speech in Florida while defending his policies from accusations that they fueled inflation.
“Inflation is a global problem right now because of the war in Iraq, its impact on oil and what Russia is doing,” the president said.
Soon the error was discovered. He said, “I mean, excuse me, the war in Ukraine.”
Biden explained at the time that he had Iraq in mind because “that’s where my son died,” and he mismentioned where his son Beau died. Beau Biden worked as a military attorney in Iraq. He returned to the United States in 2009 and died of brain cancer in 2015. The president said he believed his son’s cancer was the result of possible burn exposure while he was in Iraq.
Biden also noticed his mistake and corrected himself, saying, “Because he’s dead.”
Biden, 80, is the oldest president in US history and faces skepticism from voters about whether he should serve four more years in the White House. Nearly two-thirds of Americans, including 48% of those who describe themselves as Democrats, say Biden is too old for another term, according to a March Yahoo/YouGov poll. Biden has a history of making verbal gaffes over his decades-long career in Washington.
Speaking to reporters Wednesday on the South Lawn of the White House, Biden said Russian President Vladimir Putin had been weakened by a shocking insurrection by a mercenary group that played a crucial role in his war with Ukraine.
“He’s clearly losing the war in Iraq,” Biden said of Putin, apparently meaning to refer to Ukraine. “He is losing the war in his homeland, becoming a bit of a pariah around the world.”
Biden made a similar error while talking to donors Tuesday night at a fundraiser in Chevy Chase, Maryland, about his efforts to galvanize US allies to support Kiev.
“If anyone had told you—and my staff wasn’t sure—that we would be able to bring all of Europe together in attacking Iraq and make NATO completely united, I think they would have told you it’s not likely,” said the president, again meaning to say Ukraine.
He also spoke of his “new best friend” being “the prime minister of a small country that is now the largest in the world, China,” before correcting himself that he meant India.
Back in November, Biden also conflated Iraq and Ukraine during a speech in Florida while defending his policies from accusations that they fueled inflation.
“Inflation is a global problem right now because of the war in Iraq, its impact on oil and what Russia is doing,” the president said.
Soon the error was discovered. He said, “I mean, excuse me, the war in Ukraine.”
Biden explained at the time that he had Iraq in mind because “that’s where my son died,” and he mismentioned where his son Beau died. Beau Biden worked as a military attorney in Iraq. He returned to the United States in 2009 and died of brain cancer in 2015. The president said he believed his son’s cancer was the result of possible burn exposure while he was in Iraq.
Biden also noticed his mistake and corrected himself, saying, “Because he’s dead.”
Biden, 80, is the oldest president in US history and faces skepticism from voters about whether he should serve four more years in the White House. Nearly two-thirds of Americans, including 48% of those who describe themselves as Democrats, say Biden is too old for another term, according to a March Yahoo/YouGov poll. Biden has a history of making verbal gaffes over his decades-long career in Washington.
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