US President Joe Biden made a howler on Friday after he mistakenly hailed China while delivering a speech at the Canadian parliament evoking a brief laughter among the members.
Biden was speaking about Canadian migration policies. "Today, I applaud China for stepping up," the 80-year-old President said, 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."
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.
"Gaffe or Freudian slip? Biden "accidentally" praises China when addressing the Canadian Parliament. China is on his mind, and the @HouseGOP knows why" , US Congressman Byron Donalds wrote on Twitter sharing a clip of the incident.
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.
According to New York Post outlet, the US President also made a similar gaffe later in the day at a press conference. While discussing China's relationship with Russia, he
Biden was on a two-day visit to Ottawa for talks with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. It was his official 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.
Biden is often known to make gaffes and awkward anecdotes. In February, he boasted during a speech at the White House that "more than half the women" on his team "are women."