President Biden stumbled over his words during his response to the opening question of a high-stakes press conference on Thursday, mistakenly referring to Vice President Harris as “Vice President Trump.”
Biden, who is facing calls from some Democrats to step aside as the party’s nominee, fielded a question at the outset of his NATO summit press conference about the concerns around his viability atop the ticket.
“Separately, what concerns do you have about Vice President Harris’s ability to beat Donald Trump if she were at the top of the ticket?” Reuters reporter Jeff Mason asked.
“Look, I wouldn’t have picked Vice President Trump to be vice president [if I didn’t] think she was not qualified to be president,” Biden said, confusing his running mate with his opponent.
“So let’s start there, number one,” he continued. “The fact is the consideration is that I think I’m the most qualified person to run for president. I beat him once, and I will beat him again.”
In a later question, Biden praised Harris for her handling of reproductive rights and her ability to “handle almost any issue on the board.”
The mix-up came shortly after Biden mistakenly referred to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as “President Putin” — the leader of Russia — before correcting himself.
A reporter referenced the mistake during a question at the press conference, which Biden laughed off.
“Have you seen a more successful conference? What do you think?” Biden responded.
Biden’s stumble will garner significant attention as he fends off calls within his party to step aside as the Democratic nominee in November, following his disastrous debate performance last month. Democrats have expressed concerns Biden lacks the mental sharpness and stamina to vigorously campaign against former President Trump and make a successful case to the American public.
Democrats will be closely monitoring Biden’s press conference on Thursday evening to see if he shows he is up to the job of coherently and sharply answering questions from reporters. But some have suggested one good performance will not be enough to quell voters’ concerns.