In a joint press conference with Volodymyr Zelenskyy on July 11, President Joe Biden mistakenly referred to the Ukrainian President as ´President Putin´, as well as referring to his vice president, Kamala Harris, as “Vice President Trump”.
The press conference was held at the same venue as the ongoing NATO summit in Washington, D.C. President Biden refuted persistent questions about his intentions to run for presidential re-election, despite now having 16 Democrats in the House and Democrat Senator Peter Welch calling on the president and members of his party to step down and let someone else run.
Democratic Dissent
In an op-ed Welch wrote for the Washington Post, Welch argues that the party needs to go with a different, younger, candidate to prevent Donald Trump from winning the election.
“We have asked President Biden to do so much for so many for so long,” wrote Welch. “We need him to put us first, as he has done before, I urge him to do it now.”
Welch was the first Democrat to officially call on the president to step down, 16 other Democrats in Congress have made the same request, however, the most influential Democrats have stuck by the president. Senator Chuck Schumer of New York has been steadfast in his support for the president, and Representative Nancy Pelosi has stated, “It’s up to the president to decide if he is going to run,” Biden has been adamant that he is fit and the most qualified to represent the Democrats in November´s election, but voters will have the final say on election day.
NATO leadership presence
The ongoing NATO summit has meant that leaders from many NATO countries are in Washington. That same day, the US announced that it would be providing Ukraine with a $225 million aid package. Other NATO leaders, such as Emmanuel Macron, were asked about Biden´s gaffe, through which he supported the American president.
“We can all have a slip of the tongue.” said Macron “It’s happened to me,”
