President Joe Biden, speaking to a group of world leaders at the InterContinental New York Barclay hotel, mistakenly welcomed them to Washington, despite being in Manhattan.
This latest blunder during an international event comes amid increasing concerns about the president’s mental acuity, following his decision to end his campaign for a second term earlier this year.
“Thank you, thank you, thank you. Welcome to Washington,” Biden, 81, said to the assembled world leaders just minutes after taking the stage.
The president seemed unaware of the error, moving swiftly into his remarks, which focused on reaffirming Western support for Ukraine amid Russia’s ongoing war.
Biden’s remarks coincided with the annual United Nations General Assembly meeting, which also took place in New York.
During his address, Biden highlighted Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war on Ukraine, which has lasted more than 900 days.
“For 944 days, Putin has waged his vicious onslaught against Ukraine,” Biden stated, reinforcing U.S. support for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
This slip of location marks one of several public gaffes made by the president in recent months.
Earlier this year, during the NATO summit in July, Biden mistakenly referred to Zelensky as “President Putin” and also confused Kamala Harris with “Vice President Trump.”
Despite these stumbles, Biden remained composed during Wednesday’s speech, introducing Zelensky as “Mr. President” without further error.
Zelensky spoke after Biden at the event, joined by several other leaders, including UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
Biden’s growing list of public missteps has added to the scrutiny surrounding his decision to withdraw from the 2024 presidential race.
In July, after a difficult debate performance against former President Donald Trump, Biden chose to step aside, endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic candidate instead.
His decision followed widespread calls from Republicans and some Democrats for him to step down, questioning his fitness to serve.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) urged Biden to resign, stating, “If Joe Biden is not fit to run for President, he is not fit to serve as President. He must resign the office immediately.”
As Biden nears the end of his term, which concludes in January 2025, concerns continue to linger about his ability to effectively lead. Despite these calls for his resignation, Biden has rejected the notion, determined to finish his time in office.
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