PRESIDENT Joe Biden seemed to have forgotten the name of the Australian Prime Minister and instead referred to him as the “Fellow Down Under”.
The nuclear submarine announcement was the latest gaffe. The US and Britain agreed to support the Australian navy despite growing concerns about Chinese aggression.
AUKUS defense alliance will share nuclear secrets with Australia to create its first fleet of vessels.
Johnson stated that the partnership between “natural allies”, with shared values and interests, was “increasingly crucial for defending our interests within the Indo-Pacific region”.
And as PM Boris Johnson and Australian PM Scott Morrison gave a short speech about the move, when it was Biden’s turn he made a blunder.
When he thanked Mr. Morrison, the US President didn’t name him. Instead, he said: “I want that fellow Down Under to be thanked. You are very kind, pal. Thank you, Mr. Prime Minister.
Later, he realized his error and correctly identified the Australian PM.
This isn’t the first time that the US President has made a mistake. Last month, he confused Gov Gretchen Whitmer and Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm at a virtual event to discuss his $1trillion bipartisan Infrastructure bill.
He mix-up was followed by another gaffe in which the president appeared to become lost on the White House lawn, after ignoring the directions of a Secret Service agent.
Biden, who is a self-described “gaffe machine”, has committed many blunders since his inauguration. He referred to an inexistent war in Iran earlier in the year and forgot one reason he ran for president during a speech in July.
In June, Mr. Biden had forgotten that the South African president was introduced at a conference between G7 members. This was corrected by Boris Johnson.
Another time, in March, the 78 year-old forgot to mention the name of his defense secretary and called him “the man who runs that outfit over here.”