An innocent answer.
Quoted in full because probably behind a paywall.
Don't think getting a bike out of the garage will fix what appears to be Biden’s advanced Parkinsons. But hey, I could be wrong.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/us/politics ... to-summit/
Biden calls Zelensky ‘Putin’ then refers to vice-president ‘Trump’
Gasps at Nato as US President’s mistakes deepen the leadership crisis and fuel further calls for him to drop out
Joe Biden has referred to Volodymyr Zelensky as “President Putin” and Kamala Harris as “Vice President Trump”, in a pair of significant gaffes set to worsen the crisis engulfing his presidency.
The US president, who is facing calls to stand down over concerns about his age, confused the Ukrainian president with the Russian leader on stage at an international summit.
He then referred to Ms Harris, his vice president, as “Vice President Trump”.
The gaffes came at the end of a Nato summit in Washington DC, which had been pitched as an opportunity to rescue Mr Biden’s ailing reelection campaign.
Standing on a stage with 23 other allied world leaders, Mr Biden spoke for several minutes about the importance of protecting Ukraine from Russian aggression, before turning to Mr Zelensky and introducing him by the wrong name.
“Now, I want to hand over to the President of Ukraine, who has as much courage as he has determination,” he said. “Ladies and gentlemen: President Putin.”
He returned to the microphone and attempted to explain the error. “I’m so focused on beating Putin,” he said.
“I’m better,” Mr Zelensky replied. “You’re a hell of a lot better,” Mr Biden said back.
Ninety minutes later, during a second press conference, Mr Biden was asked whether Kamala Harris was qualified to take over his job if necessary.
“I wouldn’t have picked Vice President Trump to be vice president, that I think she was not qualified to be president,” he replied.
Donald Trump immediately seized on the moment, writing on social media: “Great job, Joe!”
Within minutes, the clips were being circulated online by official Republican Party accounts.
Mr Biden later defended his health, but said he must do more to “allay” concerns by appearing more often at public events.
The president’s advisers had been braced for the possibility of more errors on the world stage, after two weeks of criticism for his performance at the presidential debate on June 27.
The two slip-ups produced more calls for Mr Biden to end his campaign and make way for a younger candidate.
Jim Himes, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said the Democrats must put forward the “strongest candidate possible” to beat Trump, and he “no longer believe[s] that is Joe Biden”.
Polls show that Mr Biden’s popularity has tanked since the debate. He is now behind Trump in almost all swing states, and some previously safe blue states are now “in play” in November.
Thursday’s incidents came as aides worked on a pitch to convince Mr Biden to stand down his presidential campaign, amid concerns he can “never recover” from questions raised about his age in the last two weeks.
Aides on the US president’s campaign and White House teams are working out how to persuade him to leave the race, after concluding that he has no chance of beating Trump.
Earlier this week, the Hollywood star and Democrat donor George Clooney called for Mr Biden to abandon his campaign, while the former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi stopped short of defending his decision to remain in the race.
Mr Biden’s press conference at the end of the Nato summit was the first event of its kind for eight months.
The US president gave remarks and took questions from journalists for an hour, defending his record on the economy and foreign policy. He also addressed concerns about his age.
Insisting he would stay in the race, he said: “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.”
He said he was “ready” to deal with Mr Putin and Xi Jinping “now, and three years from now”, when he will be 84 years old. He said the “gravity of the situation” required his experience in office.
But Mr Biden also acknowledged that he had dealt poorly with recent criticism from his own party, describing his errors on the debate stage two weeks ago as “stupid”.
“I’m determined on running, but I think it’s important that I allay fears by letting them see me out there,” he said.
Defending his health, he added: “My schedule has been full bore. So if I slow down and I can’t get the job done, that’s a sign that I shouldn’t be doing it, but there’s no indication of that yet — none.”
He denied a story that he intended to go to bed at 8pm every night, but said he thought it was important to “pace myself”.
“I love my staff, but they add things. They add things all the time. I’m catching hell from my wife,” he said.
Asked whether he would take a cognitive test, he replied: “I’ve taken three significant and intense neurological exams by a neurosurgeon, by a neurologist... as recently as February and they say I’m in good shape.”
“The only thing age does is it creates a little bit of wisdom if you pay attention”.
Mr Biden was asked repeatedly whether he planned to step down if polling data showed that Ms Harris would be more likely to beat Trump in the election.
He replied: “No, unless they came back and said, ‘there’s no way you can win’.”
Leaning into the microphone to whisper to the audience, he added: “No one is saying that. No poll says that.”
He had previously said that only “Lord Almighty” could convince him to step down.
Some Democrats praised Mr Biden for his performance in the latter half of the press conference, when he spoke in detail and without notes on US relations with China, South Korea and Russia.
David Axelrod, a former Barack Obama aide who has called for him to step down, said he was “very comfortable on national security issues”.
However, Mr Biden’s two gaffes in the final hours of the 75th anniversary Nato summit will overshadow three days of intense diplomacy by its member states, as discussion turns to the future of his campaign.
Sir Keir Starmer waved away Mr Biden’s confusion between Mr Zelensky and Mr Putin in his own press conference, arguing that the US president “should be given credit” for the summit.
Olaf Scholz, the German Chancellor, said that “slips of tongue happen”, while Emmanuel Macron, the French president, said Mr Biden was “in charge” and on top of matters.
Mr Biden repeatedly referred to other Nato leaders while defending his record.
He said this week’s Nato summit had been the most successful “for a long time”, and that attendees thanked him for bringing them together.
“I know it sounds self-serving, but other leaders and heads of state have thanked me, saying: ‘The reason we’re together is because of Biden’,” he said.
