‘Uh, the, uh…’: Joe Biden stumbles over Lloyd Austin’s name as he recalls ire for putting ‘Black man’ in top position
As Joe Biden complained about receiving criticism for appointing a “Black man” to a critical job, he seemed to have stumbled over the name of Lloyd Austin.
Joe Biden on Wednesday appeared in a sit-down interview with Black Entertainment Television (BET) and spoke about how he was bashed for appointing black people in his administration.
As Biden complained about receiving criticism for appointing a “Black man” to a critical job, he seemed to have stumbled over the name of his Secretary of Defence, Lloyd Austin.
Meanwhile, a clip of the interview has gone viral on social media with critics slamming Biden, who is known for making faux pas, for forgetting Austin's name and referred to him “the black man.”
Some X users felt that he faltered when attempting to claim he had appointed “a Black man” in the position.
“It’s all about treating people with dignity. For example, look at the heat I’m getting because I named a, uh, the secretary of defense, [unintelligible] Black man,” Biden remarked.
“I mean, I named Ketanji Brown because of the people I've named,” he went on, referencing Associate Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson of the Supreme Court. Notably, Biden nominated Jackson to the Supreme Court in February 2022.
Biden calls Zelenskyy ‘President Putin’
The interview comes at a time Biden is diagnosed with COVID and his physical and mental state have come under scrutiny due to his lackluster showing against GOP rival Donald Trump in the first presidential debate, which took place in Atlanta on June 27.
He has since made several more regrettable errors that have gone viral, such as calling Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy “Putin” while discussing how the US is helping Ukraine repel Russia's invasion.
Last Thursday, Biden stated, "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," before realising his mistake.
Making light of the error, Zelenskyy told the POTUS, “I'm better.” In reply, Biden said, “You're a hell of a lot better.”
Amidst all the criticism, Biden asserted he is the best candidate to defeat Trump and has time and again refused to withdraw from the presidential race.
During the BET interview, Biden stated that he would think about resigning if he suffered from a health issue that afflicted him.