Joe Biden looks for colleague he ‘just took a photo with’ – who was in another state | US | News | Express.co.uk
The gaffe occurred while Biden was speaking in Raleigh, North Carolina, a state Democrats believe they can flip in 2024.
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Biden made the comments during a speech in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Image: Getty)
Joe Biden suffered an embarrasing gaffe at a speech in North Carolina on Thursday as he searched for Rep. Deborah Ross, despite the fact that she wasn’t present at the event.
“Where’s Deborah?” the president asked, as he looked across the audience for his Democratic colleague.
“I just had my picture taken with her. That’s probably why she left,” he joked, and continued to scan across the attendees for her.
Finally, Biden realized his mistake, saying: “Oh, she couldn’t be here, actually. That’s not true. I got her mixed up.
“You know, she fights very hard for the people of this district and she’s up in Washington right now,” he added.
Biden stopped for ice cream during his trip to the state (Image: Getty)
Though Biden realized his mistake, the gaffe will likely be pounced upon by Republicans and others critical of the Democrat, who claim he doesn’t have the mental capacity to be Commander-in-Chief.
The Democrat is the oldest president in the county’s history at 81, having denied Donald Trump a second term in the 2020 general election.
But he has continued to be plagued by gaffes, blunders, and moments of confusion in public appearances that have sparked attacks from political opponents about his fitness for the rigours of the Oval Office.
White House officials have consistently rejected the such claims, insisting that the president continues to be mentally sharp and intellectually engaged.
Donald Trump has mercilessly mocked Biden for his gaffes at campaign rallies. (Image: Getty)
A similar slip-up occured in September 2022, when Biden beckoned for former Rep. Jackie Walorski to stand up at a White House conference on ending hunger.
Biden appeared to have forgotten that Ms. Walorski had died in car accident a month earlier.
“Jackie are you here? Where’s Jackie?” he said at the time.
Trump beat Biden to a win in North Carolina by just over one percent in 2020, but the Democrats believe they can flip it for the first time in 16 years.
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