Gasps as Biden introduces Zelensky as 'President Putin'

And yet more embarrassment when he confuses Kamala Harris ... with Trump

- Jitendra Joshi

MORE Democrats broke ranks to urge Joe Biden to scrap his re-election bid after the 81-year-old president embarrassingly fluffed his lines in front of fellow Nato leaders and at a news conference last night.

Concluding a two-day summit, Sir Keir Starmer was among the 31 other Nato leaders on stage as Biden introduced Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky as “President Putin”, drawing gasps from the audience.

While the oldest US president yet was quick to correct himself, he made another damaging gaffe at the start of an hour-long news conference later on when he mixed up the name of his vice president, Kamala Harris, with his Republican rival Donald Trump. This time he left the mistake uncorrected.

The president began hoarsely, coughing frequently, but grew in confidence at his first solo news conference since November 2023, covering foreign policy challenges including China and Russia.

Biden delivered a forceful defence of his domestic priorities, including a woman’s right to an abortion and the need for gun control, declaring: “I’m not in this for my legacy. I’m in this to complete the job.”

However, following his calamitous debate performance against Trump, the verbal errors provoked more Democratic critics to argue that the party needs to adopt a different candidate for November's presidential election when it convenes in Chicago next month.