President Joe Biden stumbled through another press conference, even forgetting the name of Hamas when asked a question about a hostage negotiations between the terror group and Israel.
‘There is some movement, and I don’t wanna, I don’t wanna, let me be choose my words—there’s some movement. There’s been a response from the, uh, there’s been a response from the opposition, but um…,’ Biden, 81, said.
At that point a reporter jumps in and tells the commander-in-chief: ‘Yes, I’m sorry. From Hamas.
Biden had been delivering a speech promoting the Emergency National Security Supplemental Appropriations Act, a border-security bill.
Republican nominee frontrunner Donald Trump has told senate GOP members to reject the bill, despite the on-going chaos at southern border.
Biden stumbled and stuttered through the press conference until a reporter bailed him out, reminding of the name of terror group Hamas
The 81-year-old president was speaking about the Republican rejection of a border bill when he was asked a question about ongoing hostage negotiations in Israel
In response to Biden’s latest gaffe, commentator Andrew Neil said: ‘The Leader of the Free World. You can see why autocrats everywhere are quaking’
Protesters at the White House attempting to draw attention to those still held captive by Hamas
Biden, while acknowledging ‘some movement’ on a deal, described the Hamas response as ‘a little over the top’, without elaborating. ‘We’re not sure where it is. There’s continuing negotiations right now,’ he said in Washington
Sky News’ US correspondent Mark Stone said: ‘This is a reflection of Biden’s age’ but added that Donald Trump is also elderly and regularly mixes things up.
Just minutes after the Democratic president’s remarks at the White House, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell emerged from a GOP luncheon at the Capitol and acknowledged that the deal was dead.
‘It looks to me and to most of our members that we have no real chance here to make a law,’ the Kentucky Republican told reporters.
The split-screen moments in Washington represented a rapid turn of events that showed McConnell’s slipping control of his GOP conference, Trump’s growing influence, and Biden’s ability only to look on as a cornerstone of his foreign policy — halting Russian President Vladimir Putin’s advance into Europe — crumbled in Congress.
Just two days ago, Biden made another huge gaffe when he referred to French president Emmanuel Macron as Francois Mitterrand, the country’s former leader. Mitterrand died 28 years ago.
In November, Biden bragged that he had a ‘code to blow up the world’ as he chatted about nuclear weapons on a visit to the world’s largest windmill factory in Colorado.
At the same visit, Biden called Trump a ‘Congressman Trump.’
At Tuesday’s press conference, Biden Congress to ‘show some spine’ and stand up to Trump over the bill.
Meanwhile, Hamas said on Tuesday it had delivered its response to a proposed ceasefire deal for Gaza that would also involve the release of hostages, and the United States said it still believed an agreement was possible.
Details of the response were not immediately available.
In a statement Hamas said it responded ‘in a positive spirit, ensuring a comprehensive and complete ceasefire, ending the aggression against our people, ensuring relief, shelter, and reconstruction, lifting the siege on the Gaza Strip, and achieving a prisoner swap.’
Secretary of State Antony Blinken, on a lightning tour of the Middle East, said he would discuss with Israeli officials when he visits the country on Wednesday.
Biden, while acknowledging ‘some movement’ on a deal, described the Hamas response as ‘a little over the top’, without elaborating. ‘We’re not sure where it is. There’s continuing negotiations right now,’ he said in Washington.
In Doha, Blinken said, ‘There’s still a lot of work to do be done, but we continue to believe that an agreement is possible, and indeed essential.’
He spoke at a news conference with Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani after Hamas delivered its response.
Sheikh Mohammed described the Hamas response as ‘positive’ overall but also declined to give any details.
A Hamas official who asked not to be identified reiterated to Reuters earlier on Tuesday that the Palestinian Islamist movement would not allow any hostage releases without guarantees that the war would end and Israeli forces leave Gaza.
The proposed deal, drawn up more than a week ago by U.S. and Israeli spy chiefs at a meeting with the Egyptians and Qataris, would secure the release of remaining hostages held by militants in Gaza in return for a long pause to fighting.
Sources close to the talks have said the truce would last at least 40 days, during which militants would free civilians among the remaining hostages they hold.
Further phases would follow, to hand over soldiers and dead bodies of hostages, in exchange for releases of Palestinians imprisoned in Israel.