President Joe Biden held a solo news conference after the NATO summit in Washington on Thursday, seeking to reassure voters that he can serve Democratic incumbents in the 2024 election of former President Donald Trump. He was concerned about their ability to defeat
Biden’s comments included some false and misleading claims. Here’s a reality check.
Joe Biden made a blunder at an event earlier Thursday in which he mistakenly introduced Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as “President Putin” before correcting himself moments later. Biden said at the press conference: “I said, ‘No, I’m sorry, Zelensky.’ And then I added five other names.
Facts first: Biden’s last claim was false. He didn’t mention “five other names” after correcting the Putin-Zelinsky mix-up. Indeed, after Biden corrected himself, Zelensky said he was “better” than Putin, Biden agreed, and then Zelensky delivered the comments as Biden stood silently by his side.