Biden appears to wander off UN stage without shaking President Lula’s hand at end of joint speech – leaving Brazilian leader visibly irritated – minutes after President walked through a flag to take the podium
- Biden appeared to wander off the stage without shaking hands with Lula
- He gave the audience an awkward salute instead before shuffling off stage
- The Brazilian president looked irritated, while Biden also bumped into a flag
Joe Biden has seemingly wandered off the UN stage without shaking hands with Brazil’s Lula at the end of a joint speech.
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, 77, looked visibly irritated after the two leaders shared a stage to speak about their initiative to improve workers’ rights in each country.
But their diplomatic meeting got off to a labored start when Biden, 80, shuffled into a seven-foot Brazilian flag, leaving it teetering as he approached the podium.
The president made a rambling speech about his ‘economic vision to rebuild our economy from the middle out and the bottom up, not the top down’ while Lula watched on from his right flank.
Meanwhile, during Lula’s speech Biden fumbled with his headset, which he was using to hear a translated version.
Biden appeared to leave Lula hanging at the end of the diplomatic presentation, awkwardly saluting the audience before shuffling off stage
As Biden turned his back on the Brazilian president, Lula looked annoyed and made a swiping gesture with his arm. They departed awkwardly from opposite sides of the stage
Biden bumped into the Brazilian flag, marking his first gaffe within seconds of appearing on stage
‘Can you hear me President Biden? This is an historical moment for Brazil, and for the US,’ Lula said at the start of his speech.
‘President Biden can you hear me?’ Lula asked again, appearing to lose patience as Biden grunted in response. ‘You can?’ he asked, turning to Biden. ‘Yes, good.’
Biden continued to look confused as he grappled with the headset while Lula went on with his speech. At one point Biden dropped his earpiece and raised his eyebrows in frustration.
International Labor Organization Director General Gilbert Houngbo took to the podium after the two world leaders, and Biden stooped to slowly grab a folder from the ground.
Houngbo shook hands with Biden and Lula in turn at the close of his speech – but Biden appeared to leave Lula hanging, awkwardly saluting the audience before shuffling off stage.
He appeared to be torn between giving a thumbs-up or a salute, and made a sloppy gesture combining the two.
As Biden turned his back on the Brazilian president, Lula looked annoyed and made a swiping gesture with his arm. They departed awkwardly from opposite sides.
President Biden (left) has seemingly wandered off the UN stage without shaking hands with Brazil ‘s Lula (right) at the end of a joint speech, following a gaffe-filled presentation
The President’s diplomatic meeting with Lula got off to a labored start when he shuffled into a seven-foot Brazilian flag, leaving it teetering slightly as he approached the podium (pictured)
Biden fumbled with his headset during the first minute of Lula’s speech
Throughout the three speeches, which went on for around 15 minutes, they shared several more exchanges.
As Biden finished his speech and stepped down from the podium, Lula patted him on the shoulder before taking to the mic himself.
At the end of Lula’s speech, Biden shouted ‘good job!’ and Lula shook hands with him and Houngbo.
‘The two largest democracies in the Western Hemisphere are standing up for human rights around the world and the hemisphere, and that includes workers’ rights,’ Biden said.
‘Let me be clear, whether it’s the autoworkers union or any other union worker, record corporation profits should mean record contracts for union workers.’
‘In America I’m proud that my administration is characterized as the most pro-union administration in American history,’ Biden added. To applause from the audience, he added: ‘No I really mean it.’
Lula said he had never heard an American president speak so highly of workers and described their common cause as a chance to transform ties between the countries.
Their comments came on the sixth day of a strike by 12,700 United Auto Workers members against Ford, General Motors and Chrysler parent Stellantis, who are demanding better pay and benefits.
Biden said the U.S.-Brazil Partnership for Workers’ Rights will start as a bilateral initiative, but that other nations and organizations were welcome to join.
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, 77, looked visibly irritated after the two leaders shared a stage to speak about their joint initiative to improve workers’ rights in their respective nations
President Biden made a rambling speech about his ‘economic vision to rebuild our economy from the middle out and the bottom up, not the top down’ while Lula watched on from his right flank, and International Labor Organization Director General Gilbert Houngbo from the left
Biden and Lula, speaking before a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the high-level United Nations General Assembly, highlighted the importance of decent jobs, good wages and ensuring that workers benefit from the digital and green energy transitions
During Lula’s speech Biden fumbled with his headset, which he was using to hear a translated version
Lula, warning that democracies were under threat around the world, said it was critical to shore up workers’ rights, and said the new initiative would help ‘arouse hope’ for working families while deepening ties between the two countries.
‘It’s more than just another bilateral. It’s a faith relationship that we are building here and a new era for U.S.-Brazilian relations amongst equal partners,’ he said, adding, ‘poverty and inequality is not in the interest of anybody.’
Initial hopes that Lula would prove a staunch ally for Biden have been tempered in recent months, with the Brazilian leader voicing opposition on some issues and at times even seeming to thumb his nose at Washington.
‘This meeting here, for me, is more than a bilateral meeting; it is the rebirth of a new era in the relationship between the U.S. and Brazil. It is a relationship of equals,’ Lula said. He later described it as ‘a golden moment for us.’
Houngbo welcomed what he termed a historic initiative.
‘Decent work empowers workers to organize and to negotiate,’ he told reporters. ‘It fosters social justice, which is essential if people are to have a brighter future.’
The joint project is part of a U.S. effort to strengthen ties with Brazil, which has maintained close links to China, its main trading partner, even as tensions have increased sharply between Beijing and Washington.
FORGETTING NUMBERS, CONFUSING LIBYA AND SYRIA, CALLING KAMALA ‘PRESIDENT’ AND HOT MIC BLUNDERS: BIDEN’S GAFFES THAT HAVE RAISED HEALTH CONCERNS
As the oldest person ever sworn in to the White House, President Joe Biden has faced questions and concerns over his mental as well as physical acuity since taking one one of the most stressful jobs in the world.
But aside from his advanced age, Biden, 79, has worried even supporters with numerous gaffes over the year he’s been in office.
JANUARY 24, 2022 – BIDEN CALLS PETER DOOCY A ‘STUPID SON OF A B*****’
‘You displayed this type of mood change during a cabinet meeting on when you apparently did not know your microphone was on after finishing your opening remarks, and you called a White House reporter a “stupid son of a b****”in response to a question asked on inflation,’ Jackson claimed.
He was referring to a hot mic moment in late January during which Biden criticized Fox News reporter Peter Doocy, after which the president personally apologized to the journalist.
Biden has also been known to have trouble with the names of his most senior officials, foreign leaders and even countries.
MARCH 8, 2022 – SLIPPING AND FORGETTING LLOYD AUSTIN’S NAME
https://youtube.com/watch?v=GdNm-rvodZU%3Frel%3D0
The president slipped up during the March 8 speech while trying to remember Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s name.
‘I want to thank Sec-, the former general, I keep calling him “General.” My – the guy who runs that outfit over there,’ Biden said, before quickly adding, ‘I want to make sure we thank the secretary for all he’s done.’
A trip to Texas that same month to visit a Houston-area vaccination center saw Biden apparently lose his train of thought and become confused. He even asked, ‘What am I doing here?’ while trying to get himself back on track.
On multiple occasions Biden has also appeared to refer to Vice President Kamala Harris as the ‘president.’ During a commencement speech at South Carolina State University in late December, Biden remarked: ‘Of course, President Harris is a proud Howard alum.’
He made the mistake again more recently, declaring during a voting rights speech in Georgia on January 11 that ‘President Harris and I stood on the United States Capitol.’
Biden has been known to get dates confused as well — in May 2021 he recalled traveling via Amtrak to see his mother while he was vice president in 2013. But his mother had died in 2010.
The apparent issues began long before Biden took the White House. When he was on the campaign trail in September 2020, then-candidate Biden was widely mocked for saying ‘200 million people have died’ from COVID-19 under Donald Trump’s watch. The number was around 200,000 at the time.
And while president, Biden had to be corrected on a statistic regarding COVID-19 vaccinations. During a COVID-19 White House press conference, Biden attempted to say, ’57… excuse me… 570… I don’t want to read it, I’m not sure I got the right number…’ Chief Medical Adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci aided him to say the figure was ’57 million.’
JUNE 18, 2022 – BIDEN FALLS DURING BIKE RIDE
Joe Biden fell off his bike during ride near his Rehoboth Beach home in Delaware on June 18, as he and his wife celebrated their 45th wedding anniversary
Gasps rang out after the president unexpectedly fell on June 18 as he was trying to dismount his bike to chat with a crowd who had gathered along a Rehoboth Beach bike path
Biden took the solo bike ride, surrounded by agents, on June 18 near his Rehoboth Beach home
President Joe Biden hopped out of church later on June 18 to prove he wasn’t injured after falling over on his bike during a ride near his Rehoboth Beach home earlier in the morning
Biden fell off his bike during a ride near his Rehoboth Beach home on June 18.
He had come over to say hello to a crowd that had gathered near the Gordon’s Pond State Park bike trail, with people yelling ‘Happy Father’s Day’ to the president.
Upon trying to dismount the bike, his shoes caught and he fell over sideways, causing a mad scramble of Secret Service and press trying to help him up.
Gasps rang out after the fall, which saw Biden stay on the ground for roughly 10 seconds, before being helped up by several Secret Service Agents, who immediately swarmed the downed Democrat.
Moments later, Biden was glad-handing the crowd – even bringing one woman out to meet first dog Commander, who was being walked nearby.
Despite the tumble, the president did not appear to suffer any abrasions or cuts from the spill and the White House said he didn’t need to see a doctor after the incident.
Biden himself told reporters: ‘I’m good’ after the tumble.
JULY 8, 2022 – BIDEN HAS ANOTHER RON BURGUNDY MOMENT
President Joe Biden was reading a quote off of his teleprompter during a Friday White House speech when the apparent gaffe occurred
Multiple people compared Biden to Will Farrell’s iconic journalist character Ron Burgundy of the film ‘Anchorman’
Republican strategist Greg Price mocked Biden on Twitter after yet another gaffe in which the president appeared to read speaking directions off of his teleprompter.
‘It is noteworthy that the percentage of women who register to vote and cast a ballot is consistently higher than the percentage of the men who do so. End of quote. Repeat the line,’ the president said during a White House speech Friday.
‘Women are not without electoral…or political power.’
Posting the clip on social media, Price compared it to Will Farrell’s Ron Burgundy being unable to deviate from the script on his teleprompter despite grammatical mistakes and obvious errors.
Burgundy’s embarrassing on-air verbal incidents are a recurring gag throughout the movie.
Price posted a clip of Burgundy’s frustrated news crew and suggested the White House staffers behind-the-scenes were feeling similarly.
But White House Assistant Press Secretary Emilie Simons challenged Price’s claim that Biden made a mistake.
‘No,’ Simons wrote, adding that Biden said ‘Let me repeat that line.’
CONFUSING LIBYA AND SYRIA
Biden repeatedly confused Syria with Libya while discussing ways of working with Russia during a press conference at the G7 on June 13, 2021
The White House later brushed the confusion off, confirming that it was indeed, Syria, the country where Russia and the US have been involved in a decade-long civil war, which the president was referring to
Biden repeatedly confused Syria with Libya while discussing ways of working with Russia during a press conference at the G7 on June 13, 2021.
The 78-year-old gaffe machine spoke of working with Russian President Vladimir Putin to provide economic assistance to the people of Libya, prompting some confused glances from the press pack at the G7 summit in Cornwall, England.
‘I’m hopeful that we can find an accommodation where we can save the lives of people in — for example, in — in Libya,’ the president said, mentioning the north African country for the third time instead of Syria, which is in the Middle East. The White House later brushed the confusion off, confirming that the president was indeed referring to Syria, the country where Russia and the US have been involved in a decade-long civil war.
TRIPPING WHILE CLIMBING THE AIR FORCE ONE STAIRS
On March 19, video captured Biden tripping up the stairs as he boarded Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews.
In the clip, Biden stumbles as he walks up the airstairs. He grabs the hand railing to catch his balance, but then loses his footing two additional times.
During the third stumble, he falls to his knees. However, after brushing off his leg, he reaches the top of the plane and gives a salute before disappearing inside.
White House Deputy Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre later told reporters that Biden was ‘100 percent fine’ and preparing for his trip in Atlanta.
‘It’s pretty windy outside. It’s very windy. I almost fell coming up the steps myself,’ she said.
On March 19, he was caught tripping up the stairs as he boarded Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews
Just one day earlier, during a press conference on March 18 (pictured), he referred to Vice President Kamala Harris as ‘President Harris’
Just one day earlier, Biden accidentally referred to Vice President Kamala Harris as ‘President Harris.’
The gaffe occurred during a press conference on March 18, during which he lauded his administration for being close to meeting their goal of 100 million COVID-19 vaccine doses in his first 100 days in office.
‘Now when President Harris and I took a virtual tour of a vaccination center in Arizona not long ago, one of the nurses on that, on that tour injecting people, giving vaccinations, said that each shot was like administering a dose of hope,’ Biden said.
Harris was standing behind Biden as the president carried on with his speech, but did not correct himself.
Later that day, when the White House released the transcript of his speech, Harris’s proper title was inserted with brackets.
In a speech on March 9 (pictured), Biden seemed to fumble with his words and forget the name of his Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin
In a speech on March 9, Biden seemed to fumble with his words and forget the name of his Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin.
‘I want to thank Sec – the former general – I keep calling him “General,”‘ Biden said.
‘My – the guy who runs that outfit over there. I want to make sure we thank the Secretary for all he’s done to try to implement what we’ve just talked about, and for recommending these two women for promotion.’ The slip-occurred despite the fact that just a few minutes earlier, he had mentioned Austin’s name in the speech without an issue.
During an Election Day speech in Philadelphia, Biden stumbled over his words and confused his granddaughter with his late son, Beau Biden.
Biden told the crowd: ‘I want to introduce you to two of my granddaughters…this is my son, Beau Biden who a lot of you helped elect to the Senate in Delaware.’
The commander-in-chief had meant to introduce the crowed to Natalie, Beau’s daughter, but hadn’t just mixed up the name but the person – he also put his arm around Finnegan Biden, Hunter’s daughter.
He finally corrected himself as he draped his arm around Natalie’s shoulder and said: ‘This is Natalie, this is Beau’s daughter.’
Beau Biden passed away in 2015 after a months-long battle with glioblastoma, one of the deadliest types of brain cancer.
TOLD STATE SENATOR IN WHEELCHAIR TO STAND UP
https://youtube.com/watch?v=Rkr-lePr7jA%3Frel%3D0
In 2008, Biden told then-Missouri state senator Chuck Graham to stand up for the crowd at a rally, before realizing he was in a wheelchair
Not all of Biden’s gaffes occurred in the 2020s or even the 2010s. In fact, some happened in the early aughts.
In September 2008, after Biden had been named former President Barack Obama’s running mate, he attended a campaign rally in Missouri.
It was there that he called on then-Missouri state senator Chuck Graham, who passed away last year. to stand up for the crowd.
‘I’m told Chuck Graham, state senator, is here. Stand up Chuck, let ’em see you,’ Biden said.
It was at that moment he realized Graham was in a wheelchair due to muscular dystrophy.
‘Oh, God love you. What am I talking about. I’ll tell you what, you’re making everybody else stand up, though, pal.’
According to the Columbia Tribune, Graham said he was never offended by the mistake.
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