U.S. President Joe Biden, 80, has again fumbled while delivering a public speech, this time confusing dates of his inauguration, the G7 summit and NATO 2021.
During a speech in Arizona celebrating a library to be built honoring his friend and fierce Trump critic, the late Republican Sen. John McCain, Biden began to issue a warning about the future of democracy.
As he did, he began by applauding his ascent to the helm, claiming ‘America is back’ after he was elected in November 2020, but added that a looming threat approached.
While delivering his most direct condemnation of Donald Trump in many months, Biden fumbled on the context of conversations with world leaders, giving detractors fodder for criticism.
‘The first meeting I attended of the G7, the seven wealthiest nations in the world, in Europe, the NATO meeting, I sat down, it was in Feb, Feb, January, after being elected, so, late January, no uh, early February, and it was in England,’ he said attempting to build context.
‘And I sat down, and I said, ‘America is back.’ And Macron looked at me, and he said, ‘Mr. President, for how long, for how long?’
Biden was elected in November 3, 2020, was inaugurated Jan 20, 2021 and received a call from Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) January, 26, 2021.
During that year, Biden flew to the G7 summit in Brussels June 13, 2021 and later attended the NATO summit in Cornwall, England, June 14, 2021.
Despite his attempts to deliver a rousing speech, Republicans were quick to jump at the latest gaffe quickly snipping it out and plastering it across the internet.
However, seemingly unperturbed by the confusion, Biden pushed on taking aim at his leading Republican challenger and portraying him as a man driven by hatred and a desire for retribution with no fidelity for the principles of American democracy as the nation knows it.
‘And then, the Chancellor of Germany said, ‘Mr. President, what would you think if you picked up the paper tomorrow, tomorrow, the London Times, and it said a thousand people broke down the doors of Parliament, marched, and killed two bobbies in order to overthrow an election of the new prime minister? What would you think then? What would America think?’ he continued.
‘What would we think, the leading nation in the world, having gone through what we went through?’
‘And many of you travel internationally. Many of you know people from around the world. I’d be surprised if you heard anything different than the concern about: Are we okay? Is the democracy going to be sustained?’
Biden went on to credit the January 6 storming of the Capitol for ‘institutional damage’ and a broader ‘distrust and division’ among Americans.
‘I’m here to tell you: We lose these institutions of our government at our own peril. And I’ve always been clear: Democracy is not a partisan issue. It’s an American issue,’ he said.
‘There is something dangerous happening in America now. There is an extremist movement that does not share the basic beliefs in our democracy: the MAGA Movement.’
To avoid any appearances of judicial interference, Biden has steered clear of commenting on the multiple criminal indictments against Trump – two of which include the former president’s involvement in efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss.
But Biden did not hold back in the speech claiming the country would risk its democracy if Trump gets a second term.
It comes as Biden shutdown a climate change protester at his remarks in Arizona on Thursday by promising to meet with him afterwards if he would just ‘shush up.’
The President was talking about protecting democracy during remarks at the Tempe Center for the Arts when the heckler stood up.
‘Why have you yet to declare a climate emergency?’ the protester yelled, interrupting the president’s remarks. ‘Hundreds of Arizonans have died.’
The lone protester was pressuring Biden to declare a national emergency to unlock sweeping new federal regulations and funds to combat the climate emergency.
His heckling was unrelated to the remarks honoring McCain and calling on the preservation of American democracy.
‘All of us are being asked right now: What will we do to maintain our democracy? Will we, as John wrote, never quit? Will we not hide from history, but make history? Will we put partisanship aside, and put country first? I say we must, and we will. We will. But it’s not easy, it’s not easy,’ Biden said.
At the pause in his remarks, the man stood up to demand a national emergency on the climate crisis, to which the audience booed.
‘Why don’t you wait – hang on a second. I’ll be happy to meet you after I speak, OK?’ the president pleaded with the protester from the podium.
When he persisted, Biden cut-in to say: ‘I’ll tell you what – if you shush up, I’ll meet with you after this. OK?’
‘Democracy never is easy – as we just demonstrated,’ he continued as the protester was pulled away by security. ‘The cause is worth giving our all for democracy. To make all things possible.’
Arizona is a battleground state key to winning the presidential election.
Biden was close friends with Republican Sen. McCain. The pair served together in the Senate for decades.
Source: Dailymail
