US Prez Joe Biden forgets Australian PM Scott Morrison's name, calls him 'that fella down under' | Watch
Prime Minister Scott Morrison was first referred to as "that gentleman Down Under" rather than being recognised by name for participating in the US-UK-Australia deal.
FollowAustralians on Thursday squirmed as US President Joe Biden praised Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull for joining a significant new defence alliance but seemed to forget his name.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison was first referred to as "that gentleman Down Under" rather than being recognised by name for participating in the US-UK-Australia deal.
Biden was surrounded by big television screens of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, who also took part remotely during a televised White House announcement.
"Thank you, Boris, and I'd want to thank that fellow Down Under. Thank you very much, buddy. Mr. Prime Minister, I appreciate it," Biden stated this as he announced a deal to provide Australia with nuclear-powered submarines.
Biden appeared to regain his composure as he returned to his official comments and properly recognised Prime Minister Scott Morrison of Australia, who had previously replied to the apparent error with a smile and a thumbs up. For some, though, it was too late. Biden later addressed Morrison by name, but the damage had already been done.
A video of Joe's funny blooper has gone viral on social media, with #ThatFellaDownUnder quickly becoming one of the most popular Twitter hashtags.
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According to reports from Sydney, the embarrassing moment could not overshadow the significance of the agreement, which was reached at a time when China's military dominance in the Asia-Pacific region was growing. On Wednesday, the new trilateral defence and security alliance was officially established with a joint televised address.
