Biden mixes up Mexico and Egypt at surprise presser to address claims of memory loss
‘The president of Mexico did not want to open up the gate to allow humanitarian material to get in. I talked to him. I convinced to open the gate,’ the president said
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.President Joe Biden appeared to confuse Mexico with Egypt, in a press conference on Thursday called to refute allegations of his poor memory.
The president made reference to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, saying: “The president of Mexico did not want to open up the gate to allow humanitarian material to get in. I talked to him. I convinced to open the gate.
“I talked to Bibi [Benjamin Netenyahu] to open the gate on the Israeli side. I’ve been pushing really hard, really hard to get humanitarian assistance into Gaza.
“There are a lot of innocent people who are starving, innocent people or in trouble and die, and it’s got to stop, number one.
“Number two... I’m the guy that made the case that we have to do much more to increase the amount of material going in, including fuel, including other items. I’ve been on the phone with Qataris. I’ve been on the phone with the Egyptians.”
The fresh gaffe came as Mr Biden hit back at a Republican prosecutor’s claim that his memory is faulty, during the last-minute and at-times chaotic press conference.
In parts of a report by Special Counsel Robert Hur, released earlier on Thursday, there was a suggestion that the president did not remember what year his late son, Beau Biden, had died from brain cancer. “How the hell dare he raise that?” Mr Biden said.
However, Mr Biden was not alone in his unfortunate Middle-Eastern mistake, as pointed out by Democratic congressman Jared Moskowitz.
Last week, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson appeared to confuse Iran with Israel while appearing live on Meet the Press. “Let me be clear... we passed the support for Iran many months ago. Immediately after I became Speaker we set the necessary resources there.”
“Oh the Irony about bad memory. Let me help him out. Iran: Bad. Israel: Good,” Mr Moskowitz wrote.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments