In an embarrassing misstep, President Joe Biden, the oldest individual to reside in the White House in U.S. history, mistakenly referred to North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un as the President of South Korea during a campaign reception in Portola Valley, California.
During the event, Biden criticized former President Donald Trump for his diplomatic approach with world leaders, citing what he termed as Trump’s “love letters” to Kim Jong Un and admiration for Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The blunder was reported by the Daily Mail, which highlighted Biden’s confusion, noting that the president’s comments referenced “love letters from South Korean president Kim Jong Un.” The current president of South Korea, however, is Yoon Suk Yeol, with whom Biden has had several official interactions since Yeol’s election in 2022.
The president talked of Trump’s pride from ‘love letters from South Korean president Kim Jong Un.’
The president of South Korea is Yoon Suk Yeol, who Biden has met a number of times – including at a White House state dinner, an official trip to South Korea and a summit at Camp David – since Yoon was elected in 2022.
The flub comes a week after the president called Japan ‘xenophobic’ at another private event with donors.
At a fundraiser at D.C.’s glitzy Mayflower Hotel to mark the start of Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, the president talked about why he believed the U.S. economy was stronger than several Asian nations.
Why is China stalling so badly economically? Why is Japan having trouble? Why is Russia? Why is India? Because they’re xenophobic,’ Biden said. ‘They don’t want immigrants,’ the president surmised.
In the aftermath of the ‘xenophobic’ comment, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre never said if the president meant what he said.
‘I think the broader, the broader, the broader case that he was trying to make, which I think most, most leaders Famous Actor Turns On Biden Over Israeland allies across the globe understand, is he was trying – he was saying that when it comes to, when it comes to, when it comes to who we are as a nation, we are a nation of immigrants, that is in our DNA,’ she answered when asked if the slight was intentional – and if Biden planned to apologize.
This incident occurred just a week after another verbal misstep where Biden referred to Japan as “xenophobic” during a private event with donors at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, D.C. The president’s comments sparked controversy, with White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre later offering an explanation that Biden was emphasizing the importance of immigration to the United States.
Critics have seized upon these and other verbal slips by Biden as evidence of his alleged mental decline, with former President Trump calling for comprehensive mental and physical competency tests for presidential candidates. Trump’s comments underscored concerns about Biden’s fitness for office, citing the demanding requirements of the presidency in terms of mental acuity and physical stamina.
