Joe Biden appeared to forget his own Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin‘s name during an interview and instead called him ‘black man.’
The president was speaking while campaigning in Las Vegas – a trip that was cut short on Wednesday when the 81-year-old tested positive for COVID-19.
BIDEN’S GAFFE
In the interview with Black Entertainment Television, Biden said: ‘It’s all about treating people with dignity. For example, look at the heat I’m getting because I named a, uh, the Secretary of Defense, a black man.’
It comes as Barack Obama finally joined the chorus of top Democrats pressuring Biden to bow out of the race amid dismal polling over concerns about his age.
The Washington Post reported Thursday that Obama – who’s only spoken to Biden once since the disastrous debate – believes Biden’s path to victory has greatly diminished, but thinks the president needs to make the decision to quit himself. The former president has reportedly told Democrat allies it’s time for Biden to step aside.
ANOTHER GAFFE
In the BET interview, Biden made another gaffe as he failed to refer to Supreme Court Justice Kentanji Brown Jackson by her full name.
‘I named Ketanji Brown, I mean, because of the people I’ve named,’ the president said.
Biden has been under heightened scrutiny since his disastrous debate performance against Donald Trump late last month when he lost his train of thought and fumbled for words.
A spokesperson for the Biden campaign didn’t mention the mumbled response about Austin but said in the BET interview that the president ‘talked at length about the importance of Black America, the historic ways he has delivered for Black communities, and his proactive vision to stand up for civil rights, grow an economy where hard work pays off, and make housing more affordable.’
