Whoops! Biden Stumbles, Confuses 'Iranian' With 'Ukrainian' in First SOTU Address
03:21 GMT 02.03.2022 (Updated: 18:25 GMT 03.11.2022)
© REUTERS / KEVIN LAMARQUE
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During his first State of the Union address, US President Joe Biden, in a move he is notorious for, fumbled his words, confusing "Iranian" for "Ukrainian".
The remarks came as the American commander-in-chief spent the first roughly 11 minutes of his speech dedicated to US foreign policy, specifically the ongoing Ukrainian crisis.
"Putin may circle Kiev with tanks, but he'll never gain the hearts and souls of the Iranian people," US President Joe Biden said during his first State of the Union address on Tuesday. "He'll never extinguish their love of freedom, and he will never weaken the resolve of the free world."
Biden meant, of course, to say "Ukrainian" and not "Iranian".
In a video cutaway during the event, US Vice President Kamala Harris is seen making a slightly confused expression in response to the verbal gaffe, and applause in the House Chamber was scattered.
#SOTU: President Biden accidentally says "Iranian people" instead of "Ukrainian people." pic.twitter.com/as4zFouYbI
— Forbes (@Forbes) March 2, 2022
The stumble was not missed by netizens tuned into the late night speech - not by a long shot.
Twitter user @DevinDrover responded to the mix-up, writing, "An unfortunate slip-up, which I’m sure everyone will jump on, but the point itself is right on — people should do better than to try to take advantage of this tragedy to score domestic political points."
Others were not as forgiving, saying "I really doubt if the president can tell the difference between Iran and Ukraine." Or betting that the President would make a gaffe, as he has often done in the past.
Biden: "Putin will never gain the hearts and minds of the Iranian people!" What the hell is he talking about ?! 🤔🤷♀️🤦♀️🤯
— Ginger’s Page 📕🖊 (@GingersPage) March 2, 2022
Kamala silently wording "ukrainian", wondering why this big dope is the president and not her.
— Rinda (@Yunii_que) March 2, 2022
Meanwhile Iranian people are wondering why is Putin after them now. #Biden pic.twitter.com/2JvJTzi6VO
The US president has made many amusing gaffes in his storied career, going so far as to refer to himself in 2018 as a "gaffe machine."
Incidentally, the speech came shortly after a new poll by ABC News/The Washington Post saw that more than half of surveyed Americans were questioning the president's "mental sharpness," and unsure if he is fit to lead the nation.
