'Sharper than ever': Biden trolled as he mixes up Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping in gaffe-filled Time interview

WASHINGTON, DC: In a recent interview, President Joe Biden, 81, made several gaffes about key issues related to the economy, foreign policy, and his own tenure in public office.

These misstatements, which included confusing Chinese President Xi Jinping with Russian President Vladimir Putin, have once again raised concerns about the president's cognitive abilities.

Joe Biden's relentless gaffes

During the interview with Time magazine, President Biden claimed that wage increases under his administration had outpaced inflation. “Wage increases have exceeded what the cost of inflation, which you’re talking about as the prices that were pre-Covid prices,” he stated on May 28.

However, a fact check by Time revealed that while real average hourly earnings, seasonally adjusted, have increased by 0.5% from April 2023 to April 2024. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, median weekly wages have not kept up with inflation since Biden took office in January 2021.

Inflation, which peaked at 9.1% in June 2022, was the highest surge since the early 1980s. Biden has attempted to blame this spike on his predecessor, former President Donald Trump. Despite Biden’s assurances, his economic assertions have been met with skepticism, given the ongoing challenges Americans face with rising prices.

Biden’s confusion became particularly evident when discussing tariffs on Chinese goods. When asked if these tariffs would increase consumer prices, he mistakenly referred to Russian President Putin instead of Chinese President Xi Jinping.

“No, because here’s the deal. There’s a difference. I made it clear to Putin from the very beginning that — I’m not, we’re not engaging in,” Biden responded. “For example, Trump wants a 10% tariff on everything. That will raise the price of everything in America,” he said.

An editor’s note from Time clarified that Biden meant to refer to Xi.

In another instance, Biden inaccurately claimed that the US had spent less on aid to Ukraine than Europe since Russia’s invasion in February 2022. “We spent a lot of money in Ukraine, but Europe has spent more money than the United States has, collectively,” he stated.

However, the US has provided approximately $68 billion more than the European Union in aid to Ukraine. The EU’s total spending for Ukraine’s defense and humanitarian assistance stands at roughly $107 billion, matching US aid to President Volodymyr Zelensky’s government.

Additionally, Biden claimed to have spent a month in Ukraine during his tenure as a senator and vice president, a statement not corroborated by any contemporaneous reports from his time in office.

Biden’s inaccuracies extended to Japan’s defense spending and the population of Africa. “Did you ever think if I told you that Japan would be devoting 3% of its GDP to defense and make a rapprochement at Camp David with South Korea as an overwhelming threat that exists to North Korea as well as to Europe?” he asked.

However, World Bank data shows Japan has consistently spent around 1% of its GDP on defense since 1960.

Furthermore, Biden suggested that Africa’s population would grow to “a billion people” in the coming years, despite the continent already having a population of approximately 1.4 billion.

Questions about fitness for Office

Biden’s age and cognitive fitness have been a topic of concern, particularly as he approaches a potential second term. When asked about his readiness to serve until the age of 86, Biden responded, “I can do it better than anybody you know. Watch me. Look, name me a president that’s gotten as much done as I’ve gotten done in my first three and a half years.”

His response included an apparent joke about his physical fitness, challenging one of the interviewers by saying, “You’re looking at me, I can take you too.”

The president also conflated details of his visit to Asia, claiming he was heading to Taiwan to reclaim the chips industry, a misstatement given that his related trip was to South Korea and the private-sector investment announcement he referred to was made just last month.

Additionally, Biden was unable to recall his last conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu or the location of CIA Director William Burns, one of his administration’s chief negotiators for American hostages held by Hamas. With 77 hostages, including five US citizens, still held by Hamas, Biden’s lack of recall was particularly shocking, the New York Post reported.

In response to a question about his stance on a cease-fire to secure the hostages' release, Biden said, “We believe there are those that are still alive. I met with all the families. But we don’t have final proof on exactly who’s alive and who’s not alive. And by the way, I’ve been calling for — we should have a cease-fire, period. And to get those hostages,” before querying Burns’ whereabouts. “And so that’s why we’re pushing hard for the — and we’re — Is our intelligence chief in? Where is he now?” he asked.

Joe Biden trolled on social media

Biden was widely mocked on social media for his constant gaffes, especially after he mixed up Jinping and Putin.

"How could he forget these two national leaders? This is incredible!" one posted on X.

"He’s fine. Sharper than ever," another quipped.

"He does this consistently. This isn’t new news, he’s a confused old man that is crushing our country," someone else added.

"This is nothing new. Dementia is very real and present in Joe," a comment read.

"How does this guy even have an approval rating in the 30s? Should be in single digits at this point," another offered. 

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