During a closed-door fundraiser in Portola Valley, California on Friday, US President Joe Biden mistakenly referred to North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un as the president of South Korea.
During a closed-door fundraiser in Portola Valley, California on Friday, US President Joe Biden mistakenly referred to North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un as the president of South Korea. Biden, 81, was criticizing his 2024 rival, former President Donald Trump, for praising Kim after their meetings during Trump's administration. Biden mentioned Trump's fondness for receiving "love letters" from Kim, which Trump had proudly highlighted.
“We’ll never forget his love letters for the South Korean President Kim Jong Un or his admiration for Putin — what a great leader Putin is," Biden said in his latest gaffe.
President Biden's latest gaffe occurred over a year after he hosted South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol at the White House for a state dinner. This isn't the first time Biden has mixed up leaders' names, as far back as May 2022, he mistakenly referred to South Korean President Yoon as "President Moon" after visiting a Samsung micro-chip facility in South Korea. It's worth noting that Yoon's predecessor was Moon Jae-in.
“I had a long conversation with South Korean President Moon”.
A year ago, Biden confused the South Korean President with his predecessor, who had long since resigned.
He just can’t remember Korea pic.twitter.com/dUNxFlarVa
In the past year, President Biden has made several errors in naming world leaders, including those from Mexico, Egypt, France, Germany, and Ukraine.
In July, during a NATO summit in Lithuania, he mistakenly referred to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as "Vladimir," which appeared to mix him up with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Similarly, in February, he confused Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi with Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador during a press conference. These instances highlight occasional slips in Biden's recall of international leaders' names.