US President Joe Biden mistakenly announced Friday March 1, that he was authorizing US airdrops of aid into “Ukraine” when he was supposed to say the Gaza Strip, another stumble that could increase the scrutiny of his mental acuity.
The 81-year-old American commander-in-chief mixed up the two places twice while hosting Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in the Oval Office.
“In the coming days, we are going to join with our friends in Jordan and others in providing airdrops of additional food and supplies into Ukraine and seek to continue to open up other avenues into Ukraine, including the possibility of a marine corridor to deliver large amounts of humanitarian assistance,” Biden said.
The president later made clear he was referring to Gaza by adding, without noting his error, “the truth is, aid flowing to Gaza is nowhere nearly enough now.”
White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby confirmed about 30 minutes later to reporters that Biden “was referring to Gaza” when he said “Ukraine.”
Twice in February, Biden told donors at fundraisers that Helmut Kohl, who left office as German chancellor in 1998 and died in 2017, spoke with him in 2021 about that year’s Jan. 6 Capitol riot.
Biden also said that former French President Francois Mitterrand, who left office in 1995 and died in 1996, joined that 2021 conversation.
Biden compounded his errors on Feb. 8 by referring to Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi as the “president of Mexico” during a fiery press conference where he denied special counsel Robert Hur’s finding that no jury would convict him of mishandling classified documents on the grounds of perceived senility.
Watch the video below.
President Biden says they will be completing air drops of 'food and supplies into Ukraine', and the US is seeking to open up 'other avenues in Ukraine'. Mr Biden meant to say Gazahttps://t.co/GD1gLkuJSj pic.twitter.com/zvx5phNx5p
— Sky News (@SkyNews) March 1, 2024
John Kirby immediately walks back Biden's announcement of air drops "into Ukraine":
"He was referring to Gaza." pic.twitter.com/E6x6j9ealL
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) March 1, 2024
