President Joe Biden on Sunday allegedly mixed up French President Emmanuel Macron with former French president Francois Mitterrand during a Las Vegas campaign event, recounting a Group of 7 (G7) meeting he attended after being elected in 2020.
Biden said one of the first things he said during the meeting was “America is back,” which he said prompted a response from “Mitterrand” from Germany, before correcting it to “from France.”
“And Mitterand from Germany — I mean, from France — looked at me and said…’You know, what… why… how long you back for?” Biden said.
Later, people on social media reminded that Mitterand, who was France’s president from 1981 to 1995, died in 1996.
The White House later posted the remarks, which had the name Mitterand crossed out and replaced with Macron, The Hill reported.
Biden’s remarks continued with criticism of former president Donald Trump and his recent “poisoning the blood” comments he used to describe the effects of immigrants coming into the United States.
Biden, the oldest sitting US president at 81, has been under scrutiny for his age and ability to serve a second term since his presidency began in 2021.
Opponents and voters have used his mix-ups and gaffes to argue he is too old or unfit for the presidency. If re-elected, he would be 87 at the end of his second term.
Last month, Biden’s rival, 77-year-old Trump, faced criticism for allegedly combining GOP challenger Nikki Haley with former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi during a discussion about the January 6 Capitol riots.
Biden later mocked Trump for the gaffe, writing on X, formerly Twitter: “I don’t agree with Nikki Haley on everything, but we agree on this much: She is not Nancy Pelosi.”
The post attached a campaign ad knocking Trump for the mix-up and highlighted concerns about his mental fitness.
