Biden Slip-Up on Harris' Name Draws Attention

The very first question President Biden fielded in his Thursday night press conference was, not surprisingly, about his fitness to remain a candidate and whether Vice President Kamala Harris could step in if not. In his answer, Biden asserted that he is "the most qualified" person to beat Donald Trump because he already beat him once. But he also made an unfortunate flub by mixing up the names of Harris and Donald Trump.

• "Look, I wouldn't have picked Vice President Trump to be vice president if I didn't think she was qualified to be president," Biden said, per the Guardian. The president did not catch his own mistake.
• The miscue came not long after Biden mixed up the names of Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky and Vladimir Putin in his NATO comments.
• Donald Trump was quick to pounce on the Harris gaffe, writing, "Great job, Joe!" at Truth Social.

• Later in the news conference, Biden elaborated on Harris, praising her handling of abortion rights and her ability to "handle almost any issue on the board," per the Hill.
• At the very end of the news conference, a reporter informed Biden of the Harris gaffe and told him Trump was mocking him. "Listen to him," Biden responded sarcastically.

(More President Biden stories.)