While speaking at a NATO event on Thursday, July 11, President Joe Biden of the United States of America playfully rebounded from a moment in which he accidentally mixed up Vladimir Putin's name with Volodymyr Zelensky, the President of Ukraine.
"And now I want to hand it over to the president of Ukraine, who has as much courage as he has determination. Ladies and gentlemen, President Putin,” the 81-year-old POTUS announced.
Biden instantly understood what he had said and made a joke, even though there was a brief period of embarrassment. "President Putin? He’s gonna beat President Putin! President Zelenskyy,” he said.
In a courteous gesture, President Zelenskyy extended his hand to Vice President Biden and taunted, "I'm better [than Putin]." President Biden responded, "You are a h— of a lot better."
This is one of many public speaking gaffes both Biden and political opponent Donald Trump have made recently, leading many to question their respective serving abilities.
OK! Magazine has reported that some of the present commander-in-chief's "closest friends" believe he ought to undergo a "complete neurological exam" and make the results public to reassure the American people that he is still capable of serving as president.
"Now, I don’t think that friend has said this out loud to Joe Biden because that’s a hard thing even for a close friend to tell him, but I don’t think he’s going there without a major push," Biden biographer Chris Whipple said in a recent interview.
"By all accounts, the people I spoke to, including his closest friends, his inner circle, they all said that Biden was fine cognitively. I didn’t get any indication that he was cognitively impaired,” Chris said, adding that the president suffers from arthritis, which is the source of his occasional stumbles and his stilted gait.
Although Chris believes that replacing President Biden with another candidate would be best for the country, many prominent Democrats, like George Clooney, who starred in Ocean's Eleven, have expressed the idea that this would be the greatest option.
Following his recent sit-down interview with President Joe Biden, ABC News anchor George Stephanopoulos acknowledged that he did not believe Biden was capable of ruling the country for another four years.
"Do you think Biden should step down? You’ve talked to him more than anyone else has lately," a question posed to Stephanopoulos by a pedestrian in a video that was subsequently distributed to a news outlet.
"I don’t think he can serve four more years,” the news personality responded. "You don’t think he can serve four more years? Alright. That’s an answer,” the man repeated.