Gaffe Prone Biden Slips Up On Acronym This Time During Pacific Islands Address Amid Prevailing Concerns About His Age: 'Doesn't Matter What We Call It'

A verbal stumble by U.S. President Joe Biden during a recent speech at the Pacific Islands Forum sparked discussions around his fitness to govern and be reelected in 2024.

What Happened: In a video doing rounds on the internet, Biden seemed to struggle with the abbreviation for the Pacific Islands Infrastructure Initiative, a key project of his administration.

His verbal slip led to laughter among some attendees. "Today I'm pleased to announce we're working with Congress to invest $40 billion in our Pacific Islands Infrastructure Initiative," he told the round table of leaders.

"We call it the P, PI — anyways, doesn't matter what we call it but that's what it is."

"I was gonna get back to acronyms and I'm gonna withstand not doing that," he added, eliciting chuckles from the attendees at the 18-member assembly.

President Joe BIDEN: "We're working with Congress to invest $40 billion in our Pacific Island's Infrastructure Initiative. We call it the P G, P I— anyway, doesn't matter what we call it, but that's what it is" pic.twitter.com/zVYBXbjyf1

— Policy Scoop (@policyscoop) September 25, 2023

Regardless of the misstep, Biden continued his engagement with the Pacific Islands leaders, addressing climate change issues and announcing new U.S. aid to help combat its effects. The U.S. also formalized diplomatic ties with Cooks Island and Niue, two South Pacific nations, during the summit.

See Also: Trump’s Niece Urges Media To Call Out Ex-President’s Lies Or Risk Him Flooding ‘The Zone With Disinformation’

Why It Matters: Critics were quick to connect the incident to Biden’s age and questioned his capability to serve a second term as president.

This episode follows closely on the heels of another incident where Biden seemed disoriented on a United Nations stage, walking into a large Brazilian flag and seemingly ignoring Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

This isn’t the first time President Biden’s verbal slips have made headlines. In June, he misnamed his signature initiative ‘Build Back Better’ during a speech at an environmental event in Washington, sparking similar debates about his age and fitness for the presidency.

During his childhood, Biden faced a speech impediment and has openly discussed the lifelong struggles he encountered while conquering his stutter. However, these incidents highlight the scrutiny Biden is under, with his age and potential for a second term being hotly debated topics.

Photo by Evan El-Amin on Shutterstock

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