'Laugh or cry?': Internet mocks Joe Biden following his Ukraine-Gaza mix-up during meeting with Italian Prime Minister

WASHINGTON, DC: During President Joe Biden's bilateral Oval Office meeting with Italy’s prime minister on Friday, March 1, there was an unexpected moment when he seemed to confuse Ukraine with Gaza while addressing the ongoing conflicts in these troubled areas.

The 81-year-old president, known for his verbal gaffes, twice confused Gaza with Ukraine as he announced the United States' intention to provide aid to the devastated Palestinian territory.

During the meeting, Biden confirmed that humanitarian assistance would be airdropped into Gaza, a day after the Hamas-run health ministry reported that 30,000 Palestinians had died since the conflict began last October.

Biden expressed his concern over the situation, stating, "Today, I also, we're going to discuss the Middle East and yesterday's tragic and alarming event in north Gaza, trying to get humanitarian in there and the loss of life is heartbreaking."

Moreover, Biden highlighted the need for additional aid, stating, "People are so desperate that innocent people got caught in a terrible war to feed their families. And you saw the response when they tried to get aid. And we need to do more. And the United States will do more in the coming days."

Biden confuses Gaza with Ukraine

However, in addressing the humanitarian crisis, Biden appeared to mix up Gaza and Ukraine.

"We're going to join with our friends in Jordan and others in providing airdrops of, additional food and supplies into Ukraine and, seek to continue to open up other avenues in the Ukraine, including the possibility of a marine corridor, deliver large amounts of humanitarian assistance in addition to expanding deliveries by land," he said.

Biden added that the US would "insist that Israel facilitate more trucks and more routes to get more and more people the help they need. No excuses. The truth is, aid flowing to Gaza is nowhere nearly enough." 

The president expressed hope for a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas by the start of Ramadan on March 10 but acknowledged that all sides were still far apart. "We're still working real hard at it. We're not there yet," he said.

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni spoke briefly during the meeting, which did not include a question-and-answer session with reporters.

Following a tragic incident in Gaza City, where at least 115 Palestinians lost their lives and over 750 others sustained injuries, President Biden pledged to carry out airdrops. Witnesses recounted that Israeli troops fired upon crowds as they tried to access supplies from an aid convoy, leading to a stampede, Sky News reported.

Despite President Biden's attempts to tackle the crises in both Ukraine and Gaza, questions regarding his mental acuity have arisen in light of a report by Special Counsel Robert Hur, which characterized the president's memory as "hazy," "fuzzy," "faulty," "poor," and with "significant limitations."

This report has fueled further scrutiny of Biden's ability to manage the government and safeguard the country, particularly as voters have expressed misgivings about his age and health.

Biden has vehemently denied accusations regarding his memory. Last month, he fumed, "My memory is fine," after reporters asked if he had forgotten when his son died.

Beau Biden died in 2015 at the age of 46 due to brain cancer.

However, the assertions made in the report regarding his memory could potentially weaken his communication with voters and raise concerns about the credibility and effectiveness of his administration.

Social media reacts to Biden's slip-up

Meanwhile, the latest Ukraine-Gaza mix-up elicited a wave of reactions on social media.

"Sharp as a scalpel isn’t he?" one posted on X.

"Laugh or cry?" another wondered.

"When Biden says 'innocent lives are on the line' he means 'my re-election is on the line,'" a comment read.

"The leader of the free world. Putin is laughing, Islamists are laughing, China is laughing, the IRGC, North Korea are laughing and they are all emboldened," someone else offered.

"This poor dude needs to be sent home, seriously. It’s time for him to be with his family," another insisted.

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.