Joe Biden was on a two-day visit to Ottawa for talks with Canadian PM Justin Trudeau.
Gaffe-prone US President Joe Biden on Friday mistakenly praised China while delivering a speech to the Canadian parliament. During his address, Mr Biden was speaking about Canadian migration policies.
“Today, I applaud China for stepping up,” the 80-year-old President said, before immediately correcting himself and adding, “Excuse me, I applaud Canada… You can tell what I’m thinking – about China. I won’t get into that yet.”
Watch the video below:
BIDEN: “I applaud China…” pic.twitter.com/PJgxSanGCM
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Members of the Canadian parliament broke into brief laughter as Mr Biden continued his speech. According to New York Post, he mixed up the two countries as he praised Canada for agreeing to accept 15,000 more migrants per year from Latin American countries – in exchange for the US consenting to Canadian efforts to deport those caught sneaking illegally into Canada.
Sharing the clip on Twitter, US Congressman Byron Donalds wrote, “Gaffe or Freudian slip? Biden “accidentally” praises China when addressing the Canadian Parliament. China is on his mind, and the @HouseGOP knows why.”
Donald Trump’s son and the Executive Vice President of the Trump Organisation, Eric Trump, also shared the clip on social media. “What an embarrassment to the United States of America,” he said.
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As per the outlet, the US President also made a similar gaffe later in the day at a press conference. He was discussing China’s relationship with Russia, but caught himself mid-word at “Japa…”
Notably, Mr Biden was on a two-day visit to Ottawa for talks with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. It was his visit to the country since taking office in January 2021. In a joint statement, the two leaders acknowledged the “serious long-term challenge to the international order posed by the People’s Republic of China,” referring to the country by its official name.