President Joe Biden appeared to forget the name of his own Defense Secretary, Lloyd Austin, during an interview, instead calling him “black man.”
The president spoke during his campaign in Las Vegas, a trip that was cut short on Wednesday when the 81-year-old tested positive for COVID-19.
In the interview with Black Entertainment Television, Biden said, “It’s about treating people with dignity. Look at the criticism I’ve been getting for calling a, uh, Secretary of Defense, a black man.”
He then forgot to mention Chief Justice Kentanji Brown Jackson’s full name.
“I appointed Ketanji Brown because of the people I appointed,” the president said.
President Joe Biden appears to forget Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s name during an interview with BET and instead simply calls him a “black man”
In the clip, Biden said, “It’s about treating people with dignity. Look at the criticism I’m getting for calling a, uh, the Secretary of Defense, a black man.” Secretary Lloyd Austin was photographed in Singapore this week
Biden has come under increasing criticism since his disastrous performance in the debate against Donald Trump late last month, when he lost his thread and fumbled for words.
A Biden campaign spokesman would not address the Austin rumors, but said in the BET interview that the president “spoke extensively about the importance of Black America, the historic ways he has advocated for Black communities and his proactive vision to advocate for civil rights, grow an economy that rewards hard work and make housing more affordable.”
“Meanwhile, Donald Trump and his MAGA allies at the RNC have doubled down on extremism, division, and their Project 2025 agenda, making it clear they are only interested in helping billionaires while pitting Americans against each other. The choice couldn’t be clearer,” spokesperson Sarafina Chitika added.
This week the Republican National Convention is taking place in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Meanwhile, the concerns of worried Democrats are reaching boiling point.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Speaker Emeritus Nancy Pelosi and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries are reportedly trying to persuade him to withdraw from the race.
The official position of these lawmakers is that they did not pressure the president to withdraw from the race.
President Joe Biden walks down the steps of Air Force One at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware, Wednesday, July 17, 2024
Biden isolating himself due to COVID
A spokesperson for Jeffries told ABC News: “Leader Hakeem Jeffries met privately with President Joe Biden a week ago. On behalf of the Houe Democratic Caucus, he immediately expressed the full breadth of insight, perspective and conclusions he reached about the path forward — after extensive colleague-to-colleague conversations.”
“Any further characterization of the private, one-on-one meeting between President Biden and Leader Jeffries is speculative and uninformed,” the statement continued. “The letter Leader Jeffries sent to House Democratic colleagues speaks for itself.”
The letter, made public on Friday, did not provide details about the gist of the conversation.
President Joe Biden shakes hands with Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin before speaking during a Fourth of July event on the South Lawn of the White House on July 4, 2024 in Washington, D.C.
Biden arrived in Delaware on Wednesday evening and was not expected to appear publicly on Thursday
Pressure is mounting for him not to be re-elected
A total of 20 Democrats have called on Biden to withdraw from the race.
On Wednesday, Rep. Adam Schiff, who is on track to win a California Senate seat, made his concerns public.
“While the choice to withdraw from the campaign is President Biden’s alone, I believe it is time for him to pass the torch,” Schiff said in a statement. “And in doing so, secure his leadership legacy by enabling us to defeat Donald Trump in the upcoming election.”
Axios reported Thursday that calls for Biden’s resignation have become so loud that an announcement could happen as early as this weekend.
The president flew from Las Vegas to Dover, Delaware, on Wednesday night and will remain at his Rehoboth Beach home until he tests negative for COVID-19.
