President Joe Biden made a gaffe by referring to Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky as "President Putin" during the NATO summit on Thursday. This was a mere hour before a crucial press conference to defend his campaign for a second term in office.
In his latest slip up, President Biden went to introduce the Ukrainian leader who has bravely struggled against more than two years of Russian warfare in his country. However, what he actually said was: "The President of Ukraine, who has as much courage as he has determination, ladies and gentlemen... President Putin."
Presidential speeches have historically rallied the US through its darkest times, including George W. Bush's post-9/11 speech at Ground Zero, which catapulted his popularity, or Barack Obama's famously powerful rhetoric and delivery which saw him galvanise support during the financial crisis to turn an upstart Illinois Senator into a successful two-term president.
Despite Team Biden's efforts to boost his one-on-one interactions and small group engagements via social media, these snippets are unlikely to capture the attention of the tens of millions who tuned in to see him spar with Trump. "In 2020 he was promising to demonstrate confidence in the face of chaos. He was saying, 'I'm this steady force,'" Prasch recalled. "If that's how you branded yourself and you do the opposite thing in this debate, that's exactly why this was so jarring for the public."