NATO Leaders' Reaction to Joe Biden Calling Zelensky 'Putin' Goes Viral

A video of NATO leaders reacting to Joe Biden mistakenly introducing Volodymyr Zelensky as "President Putin" during a NATO summit in Washington, D.C. on Thursday has gone viral on social media, where it's been viewed over 880,000 times.

Standing on a stage with 23 other world leaders, the Democratic president talked about the importance of securing Ukraine's future and helping the country fight Russia's aggression, before welcoming Zelensky on stage.

"Now, I want to hand over to the President of Ukraine, who has as much courage as he has determination," Biden said. Then he added: "Ladies and gentlemen: President Putin."

While some leaders started clapping and others remained motionless, Biden returned to the microphone to acknowledge his mistake. "I'm so focused on beating Putin, we've got to worry about it. Anyway," he said.

"I'm better," Zelensky intervened, somehow defusing what could have been a tense situation as Biden's verbal stumbles are being closely observed these days after his disastrous performance at the presidential debate with Donald Trump last month.

"You're a hell of a lot better," Biden replied.

Several allied world leaders questioned about Biden's mix-up between Zelensky and Putin proved to be sympathetic of the president's slip-ups at the NATO summit, brushing off concerns over his health.

Keir Starmer, Britain's newly elected prime minister, said during his own press conference that Biden "should be given credit" for how he handled the summit.

Germany's Chancellor Olaf Scholz commented on the incident saying that "slips of tongue happen, and if you always monitor everyone, you will find enough of them." He added: "But this doesn't change a single thing of what the U.S. president stated very clearly in his speech."

"We all slip up sometimes," French President Emmanuel Macron said. "It's happened to me and it could happen again tomorrow. I would ask for your indulgence," he added, as reported by Reuters. Macron said that the U.S. president was "in charge" and on top of issues discussed during the NATO meeting.

Newsweek contacted Biden's 2024 campaign's team for comment by email on Friday morning.

But the 81-year-old president's gaffe is unlikely to be brushed off as just a slip-up by the rest of the world, as calls for him to stand aside are growing among the Democratic Party. It didn't help that, one hour and a half hours after addressing Zelensky as Putin, Biden referred to his Vice President Kamala Harris as "Vice President Trump."

During a second press conference where he was asked about Harris possibly replacing him on the 2024 ticket, Biden said: "I wouldn't have picked Vice President Trump to be vice president, that I think she was not qualified to be president." On his social media platform, the embattled former president commented on Biden's slip-up, saying: "Great job, Joe!"

A mistake like this is yet another blow to Biden's campaign, which has not yet managed to shake off concerns over the president's age and fitness for office. During the second press conference in which he mixed up Harris and Trump, Biden repeatedly defended his decision to remain in the race, despite questions about his age and about what would happen to his legacy should he lose against Trump after refusing to stand aside.

"I'm not in this for my legacy. I'm in this to complete the job I started. I think I'm the best qualified person to do the job," Biden said, adding that the "gravity of the situation" required his experience in office. He said that he was "ready" to deal with Putin and China's President Xi Jinping "now, and three years from now." Biden will then be 84.

Update 7/12/24, 4:05 a.m. ET: This breaking news article was updated to include more context to the story.