Biden’s high 10 most embarrassing gaffes
Joe Biden has dropped out of the 2024 presidential race after years of embarrassing gaffes appear to have finally caught up with him.
Just days prior to his announcement, the 81-year-old Democrat made a series of verbal blunders, such as confusing Vice President Kamala Harris with Donald Trump and awkwardly referring to his defense secretary as ‘that black man’ when he forgot his name.
His history of cringey mishaps includes everything from bumping into flagpoles and falling off bikes to calling people the wrong names and even neglecting to shake hands with foreign officials.
Here are some of the top 10 most embarrassing gaffes of his presidency:
1. Biden calls Zelensky ‘President Putin‘
President Joe Biden introduced Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as ‘President Putin ‘ in a brutal gaffe at the NATO summit with his political future hanging by a thread.
The ailing 81-year-old was facing mounting calls to drop out of the presidential race when he said: ‘Ladies and gentlemen, President Putin.’
The embarrassing flub in front of world leaders sparked gasps and those in the room had to shout the correct name.
‘No, we’re going to beat Putin,’ Biden said, and blamed the blunder on being ‘so focused’ on defeating the Russian tyrant who invaded Ukraine two-and-a-half years ago.
One of his worst gaffes yet came in front of global allies and shortly before his pivotal ‘big boy’ press conference that could be the final nail in the coffin for his hopes of remaining as the Democratic candidate.
The latest bungled comments will add fuel to the fire for critics who say he isn’t capable of being in office for another four years, yet alone winning in November.
2. Calls Kamala Harris ‘VP Trump’
Biden committed a significant flub, just hours after blowing his introduction of President Zelensky.
While defending his viability, he trumpets Vice President Kamala Harris – but bizarrely refers to her as ‘vice president Trump.’
‘Look, I wouldn’t have picked Vice President Trump to be vice president, did I think she’s not qualified to be president. Number one,’ Biden said.
He then moves beyond the mixup, before getting a question referencing his earlier comments blowing his introduction of Zelensky.
3. Forgets his own Defense Secretary’s name and calls him ‘black man’
Joe Biden appeared to forget his own Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s name during an interview and instead called him ‘black man.’
The president was speaking while campaigning in Las Vegas – a trip that was cut short on Wednesday when the 81-year-old tested positive for COVID-19.
In the interview with Black Entertainment Television, Biden said: ‘It’s all about treating people with dignity. For example, look at the heat I’m getting because I named a, uh, the Secretary of Defense, a black man.’
A spokesperson for the Biden campaign didn’t mention the mumbled response about Austin.
Instead, he said in the BET interview that the president ‘talked at length about the importance of Black America, the historic ways he has delivered for Black communities, and his proactive vision to stand up for civil rights, grow an economy where hard work pays off, and make housing more affordable.’
4. Walks off stage, runs into a flag and fails to shake hands with Brazil‘s President
On September 20 last year, ailing Biden seemed to produce gaffe after gaffe while on the UN stage alongside Brazil‘s President, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Lula da Silva, 78, looked visibly irritated after the two leaders shared a stage to speak about their initiative to improve workers’ rights in each country – because Biden walked off without shaking his hand.
Their diplomatic meeting got off to a labored start when Biden shuffled into a seven-foot Brazilian flag, leaving it teetering as he approached the podium.
The president made a rambling speech about his ‘economic vision to rebuild our economy from the middle out and the bottom up, not the top down’ while Lula watched on from his right flank.
Meanwhile, during Lula’s speech, Biden fumbled with his headset, which he was using to hear a translated version.
Biden continued to look confused as he grappled with the headset while Lula went on with his speech. At one point, Biden dropped his earpiece and raised his eyebrows in frustration.
International Labor Organization Director General Gilbert Houngbo shook hands with Biden and Lula in turn at the close of his speech – but Biden appeared to leave Lula hanging, awkwardly saluting the audience before shuffling off stage.
He appeared to be torn between giving a thumbs-up or a salute, and made a sloppy gesture combining the two.
5. Calls the Congressional Hispanic Caucus the ‘Black Caucus’
On September 22, the president made yet another public gaffe when all eyes were on him during a keynote speech in Washington, DC.
Joe Biden mistakenly praised the ‘Congressional Black Caucus’ during a speech to the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.
He had celebrated Sister Norma Pimental, executive director of Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley, for her gala award win moments before the mistake.
Biden praised her for living the lessons based on the Gospel of Matthew before adding: ‘The Congressional Black Caucus embodies all those values.’
‘I know Sister Norma lives the lessons nuns taught me growing up,’ Biden said during the speech addressing the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.
‘Lessons based on the Gospel of Matthew: feed the hungry, care for the sick, welcome strangers.’
‘They echo what my dad taught me, and I mean this sincerely, my dad used to say, ‘Everyone, everyone is entitled to be treated with dignity and respect.’
The president added: ‘The Congressional Black Caucus embodies all those values,’ without correcting his mistake.
6. Repeats story about white supremacist rally twice at same event
President Joe Biden speaks at a gun safety event and repeated the same story twice at a fundraiser in New York City where cameras were not present in the room – though was attended by a small pool of journalists covering him
Biden repeated the same story twice within minutes at a private fundraising event in New York in September 2023.
The story was one the 80-year-old president tells often about how events in Charlottesville, Virginia in 2017, and the reaction of Donald Trump, inspired him to run for the White House.
On Aug 11, 2017 white supremacists and neo-Nazis descended on the city and clashes continued into the following day.
Biden, who was in New York for the United Nations General Assembly, attended a fundraising gathering hosted by food security expert Amy Goldman Fowler at her home.
According to a White House pool report of the private event he began speaking just after 4pm in a living room in front of about two dozen people.
After briefly talking about his economic record he reflected on his decision to seek the presidency and ‘talked about the events of Charlottesville’ as the reason for his campaign, the report said.
‘A few minutes later, he told the story again, nearly word for word,’ the report went on.
7. Biden refers to rapper LL Cool J as ‘LL Jay Cool J’
Biden faced yet more criticism after referring to legendary rapper LL Cool J as a ‘boy’ after getting his name wrong at the Congressional Black Caucus on Saturday night.
LL Cool J and MC Lyte received Phoenix Awards for their musical contributions at the annual ceremony in Washington DC.
While on stage, Biden, 80, said: ‘Two of the great artists of our time representing ground-breaking legacy of hip hop in America, LL Jay Cool J, uhhh…’ before trailing off.
Biden then added: ‘By the way that boy – that man’s got biceps bigger than my thighs.’
The footage of his speech was quickly re-posted by right-wing RNC Research on social media, where commentators swiftly pointed out that referring to African Americans as ‘boy’ is widely considered a derogatory term.
8. Claims he’s been to ‘every mass shooting’ – which he has not
Biden also – erroneously – claimed to have been to ‘every mass shooting.’
The bizarre remark came days after he falsely claimed to have visited Ground Zero the day after 9/11, and have left many demanding to know whether he is lying or forgetting.
Speaking alongside vice-president Kamala Harris in the White House Rose Garden, he said his administration had been ‘working relentlessly to do something’.
‘After every mass shooting, we hear a simple message, the same message heard all over the country, and I’ve been to every mass shooting,’ he told his audience.
There have more than 500 mass shootings in the US this year and critics on social media were scathing in their response to the latest tall story.
‘Suspicious, if true,’ tweeted former US diplomat Alberto Fernandez.
9. Trips and falls while handing out diplomas at Air Force Academy
This came after a a series of stumbles walking on and off Air Force One , which got so bad that in February a Secret Service agent has to stand at the bottom of the stairs as an extra precaution in case the President were to fall again
Biden stumbled and hit the floor cadets and Secret Service members rushed to grab his arms while he was handing out diplomas in Colorado.
He then walked away without help and appeared to point to a sandbag on the stage.
The White House since insisted the president wasn’t hurt and also blamed the black sandbag, which could be seen near the podium where he was speaking.
‘He’s fine,’ White House Communications Director Ben LaBolt tweeted shortly after the incident. ‘There was a sandbag on stage while he was shaking hands.’
But the stumble marks the fourth time Biden fell in public since taking office in January 2021.
This came after a a series of stumbles walking on and off Air Force One, which got so bad that in February a Secret Service agent has to stand at the bottom of the stairs as an extra precaution in case the President were to fall again.
Over the last year he even started taking the shorter stairs on the under belly of Air Force One, rather than ascending and descending the more grand and much longer staircase traditionally used to board the presidential Boeing 747.
10. Toppled over on his bike near his Delaware beach house
In June 2022, President Joe Biden fell off his bike during ride near his Rehoboth Beach home in Delaware, where he and his wife our celebrating their 45th wedding anniversary weekend.
Earlier he had told press, ‘I’m good,’ after falling over and taking his bike with him.
Biden told reporters that he had trouble removing his shoes from the bikes’ pedals, causing the fall around 9:30am.
He had come over to say hello to a crowd that had gathered near the Gordon’s Pond State Park bike trail, with people yelling ‘Happy Father’s Day’ to the president.
Upon trying to dismount the bike, his shoes caught and he fell over sideways, causing a mad scramble of Secret Service and press trying to help him up.
Gasps rang out after the fall, which saw Biden, 79, stay on the ground for roughly 10 seconds, before being helped up by several Secret Service Agents, who immediately swarmed the downed Democrat.
Moments later, Biden was glad-handing the crowd – even bringing one woman out to meet first dog Commander, who was being walked nearby.
