Joe Biden again referred to his Vice President Kamala Harris as “President” and later botched the pronunciation of her name again.
The president’s blunders came as he welcomed the Stanley Cup champion Las Vegas Gold Knights to the White House on Monday, and are part of a string of blunders on his part when it comes to his vice president.
“President Harris is here to make sure we get it right,” Biden said as he opened the celebratory event.
Biden’s propensity for gaffes will come under scrutiny ahead of the 2024 election. Donald Trump, who is leading the race for the Republican nomination, has repeatedly questioned Biden’s health and mental capacity.
President Joe Biden accepts a gold hockey stick from the Vegas Golden Knights
At 80, Biden is the oldest president in American history. His doctor has given him a clean bill of health for a second term.
But in addition to his verbal blunders, he also stumbled several times – he literally stumbled and even fell a few times.
In the last two years he has handed over his job to his deputy several times.
In January, he talked about how “President Harris” was leading the immigration effort, and in October he called her “President Harris” when he wished her a happy birthday.
And there were more.
“President Harris is a proud Howard alum,” Biden said in an inaugural speech in the state of South Carolina last December.
He did the same during a press conference on coronavirus vaccines in March 2021. That same month, he referred to Harris as “the first lady.”
President Biden has repeatedly defended his ability to lead the country but acknowledged that his age is a legitimate question. Trump is 77 – just four years younger than Biden.
“I think it’s legitimate to be concerned, regardless of age, including me.” “I think that’s completely legitimate,” Biden said in October.
“But the best way to make a judgment is to watch me.” You know, am I slowing down? Don’t I have the same pace? Or, you know, and that old joke, you know – everyone talks about the new, you know, ’70s, ’50s, you know it all.”
“I don’t want to jinx myself, I’m in good health.” “Everything about me physically is still working well, and mentally it’s working too,” the president noted.
Vice President Kamala Harris waves as she arrives at the Vegas Golden Knights event
Mark Stone and George McPhee present President Joe Biden with a jersey and a gold hockey stick
Biden was in a cheerful mood at the Golden Knights’ event, cracking several jokes and accepting a gold hockey stick from the championship team, which he waved around in front of the crowd.
Biden noted that Vegas has hosted a number of championships recently, including the women’s basketball team winning back-to-back WNBA titles.
He then turned to football and asked her if her football team, the Vegas Raiders, could beat the Philadelphia Eagles, his wife Jill Biden’s home team. The First Lady is a passionate Philly fan.
“Just don’t take the Eagles,” he said, “because if that happens, I’ll get a divorce.” “I married a girl from Philadelphia.”
And he even made a joke about polls, noting that the Golden Knights’ owners were “confident, predicting a playoff run in three years and a Stanley Cup in six years.” I need to talk to them because I don’t believe the poll data either “pay a lot of attention.”
The audience burst into laughter.
Biden and his re-election campaign are pushing back against poll data showing him trailing Donald Trump.
Last month, New York Times and Siena College polls showed the president trailing Trump in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada and Pennsylvania. Only in Wisconsin is Biden ahead by 2 percentage points. Biden won all six states in the 2020 election.
President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden kiss on the South Lawn of the White House after arriving on Marine One from their weekend in Wilmington, Delaware.
President Biden arrives at the event honoring the Stanley Cup winner with Vegas Golden Knights captain Mark Stone
When it was his turn to speak, Vegas Golden Knights captain Mark Stone was visibly nervous to address the commander in chief.
“We all come in awe of this beautiful place and have great respect for you and the office you hold,” Stone said. He seemed to be overcome with nervousness before he regained his composure.
“It’s much easier to play hockey in front of 20,000 spectators – I can confirm that,” he added as the crowd cheered him on.
The team presented Biden with a jersey and a gold hockey stick.
“It is an honor to speak on behalf of not only my teammates, but the entire organization and the city of Las Vegas – an amazing city, of course, the entertainment capital of the world,” Stone said.
“Say that with all due respect to Delaware, Mr. President,” he added, poking a little fun at Biden’s home state.
The Golden Knights won the best-of-seven championship series 4-1 against the Florida Panthers in June, sparking celebrations on the famed Vegas Strip.