'Vegetable-in-Chief': Joe Biden trolled after recent mix-up of Alejandro Mayorkas and Xavier Becerra sparks concern on mental acuity

WASHINGTON, DC: In a televised address at the White House on Monday, January 22, President Joe Biden found himself in a moment of confusion, mistakenly attributing remarks meant for his reproductive rights task force to the wrong cabinet secretary.

The incident has ramped up discussions about the president's age and mental acuity.

Mix-up at Reproductive Rights Task Force meeting

The mix-up unfolded during a meeting with Biden's reproductive rights task force when, while expressing gratitude to his gender policy adviser, Jen Klein, the president pointed to his right, saying, "Where's Jen sitting? There you are, Jen."

However, the misstep occurred when he extended his thanks to the wrong cabinet secretary, stating, "And Secretary Becerra, sitting right next to her, for the leadership in this task force." Unfortunately for Biden, it was Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, not Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, who occupied the adjacent seat to Klein.

The White House had previously announced that Secretary Becerra would participate remotely via Zoom, according to the Daily Mail.

Karine Jean-Pierre's defense

The incident unfolded just minutes after White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre passionately defended President Biden's mental sharpness during a press briefing, responding to concerns raised by Fox News reporter Peter Doocy.

Jean-Pierre not only addressed the issue but also took a jab at Doocy's mention of Trump as his "favorite president."

"I have to say that's a little confusing for me, because if you look at what this president has done in the last three years, historical pieces of legislation, right? When it comes to bipartisan infrastructure deal, many presidents before – like your favorite president," she told Doocy, in an apparent reference to Trump.

Jean-Pierre, however, continued to highlight the significance of the bipartisan infrastructure deal, stating, "These are legislation that is going to have a difference for generations to come. Right. And so this is something that this President has done. That's pretty sharp for this President to have been able to do that."

However, despite Jean-Pierre's defense, recent polling data has fueled concerns about President Biden's mental acuity compared to former President Trump.

ABC News polling last week indicated that 47 percent of respondents believed Trump, aged 77, possessed the mental sharpness to be president, in contrast to 28 percent for Biden. Trump also surpassed Biden in assessments of physical health, with 57 percent deeming him fit compared to 28 percent for the current president.

Trump's own name confusion and Nikki Haley's response

Former President Trump himself faced criticism over the weekend when he repeatedly confused the names of Nikki Haley and Nancy Pelosi. Haley, responding to the incident, expressed concerns about having a president whose mental fitness is in question.

"They're saying he got confused, that he was talking about something else, he's talking about Nancy Pelosi," Haley said Saturday.

"He mentioned me multiple times in that scenario. The concern I have is — I'm not saying anything derogatory — but when you're dealing with the pressures of the presidency, we can't have someone else that we question whether they’re mentally fit to do this. We can’t," she added.

On Thursday, Biden gave a speech in North Carolina where he briefly got mixed up when he was looking to praise North Carolina Democratic Rep Deborah Ross.

"Where's Deborah? I just had my picture taken with her. That's probably why she left," he quipped initially.

"Oh, she couldn't be here, actually. That's not true. I got it mixed up," he said, appearing to be confused. "You know, she fights very hard for the people of this district and she's up in Washington right now."

Online reactions to Biden's fumble

Biden was trolled online for his latest stumble.

"Is sleepy joe really the best America can do? It’s tragic!" one reacted.

"It's quite remarkable we even have a country. We sure as the sun don't have a functional President nor government," another wrote.

"The Vegetable-in-Chief makes another brilliant speech," someone else quipped. 

"Needs to go to a retirement home asap," another added.

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