Biden Confuses Emmanuel Macron With Former French Leader Who Died In 1996

Be it the tongue slip-ups, sudden falls, and fumbles, United States President Joe Biden is highly gaffe-prone. In a recent incident, President Biden appeared to mix up French President Emmanuel Macron with the country's former leader, Francois Mitterrand, who has been dead for nearly 30 years, the New York Post reported.

The incident happned on Sunday during a campaign speech in Las Vegas, where the US President was recounting meeting leaders of G7 countries in 2021 in Cornwall, England. During his speech, he mentioned speaking to Francois Mitterrand, confusing him for Mr. Macron.

''It was in the south of England. And I sat down and I said, 'America is back,' and Mitterrand from Germany, I mean from France, looked at me and said – said, 'you know what — why — how long you back for?''

''And I looked at him, and the — and the chancellor of Germany said, 'What would you say, Mr. President, if you picked up the paper tomorrow in the London Times and the London Times said, 'A thousand people break through the House of Commons, break down the doors, two Bobbies are killed to stop the election of a prime minister. What would you say?''

''I never thought about it from that perspective. What would we say if that happened in another democracy around the world?'' he continued. 

Notably, Mr Mitterrand, who was France's president from 1981 to 1995, died in 1996 at the age of 79.

This follows a series of gaffes Mr. Biden has made in the recent past. Last year, he accidentally referred to Vice President Kamala Harris as "president" at a White House event. Before that, he also confused Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy with Russian President Putin and referred to him as "Vladimir". 

During his 2022 State of the Union address, he mistakenly referred to "Ukrainians" as "Iranians", while he was speaking about how Russian President Putin had invaded the country. 

According to a Reuters report, public opinion polling shows that a majority of Americans have concerns about his age. However, the president's doctor declared him healthy and "fit for duty" after a physical examination last year. If he wins a second term next year he will be 86 by the time he leaves.

Nikki Haley, a 51-year-old currently seeking the Republican presidential nomination, has repeatedly called for mandatory mental competency tests for politicians over 75.