A drop-out at the lectern raises new doubts about the president's mental fitness in the United States. At a conference, it addresses Jackie Walorski by name - a deputy who recently died.
US President Joe Biden made an embarrassing mistake at a conference: at 79, the oldest president in US history apparently thought a recently deceased MP was among the audience during his speech. "Jackie, are you here? Where's Jackie?" Biden asked at the White House-sponsored conference on hunger, nutrition and health. "I think she should be here."
The President was referring to Conservative MP Jackie Walorski, who, together with other MPs, had made the conference possible. Walorski died in a car accident in early August. At that time, her vehicle collided with an oncoming car, and two of her employees also died. Biden said he was “shocked and saddened” in a statement and had the flags flown at half-mast on the White House. "She was respected by members of both parties for her work."
Biden's spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre explained today's dropout by saying that the president mentioned Walorski's name at the conference because he was thinking of the deceased MP. "He had her in mind when he named the advocates in Congress on this really, really important issue (hunger and healthy eating)." Biden will also receive Walorski's family at the White House on Friday. "She was at the top of his mind."
Notwithstanding the protestations, the incident is likely to fuel critics of the president who have cast doubt on the 79-year-old's mental abilities. Biden has long been known for slips of the tongue and blunders, especially when he deviates from the speech manuscript. The Democratic Party politician could run for a second term in the 2024 presidential election. He would then be 81 years old.
