President Joe Biden appeared to forget the name of his own defense secretary, Lloyd Austin, during an interview and instead called him a “black man.”
The president spoke while campaigning in Las Vegas, a trip that was cut short 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. For example, look at the criticism I’m getting because I appointed a black man as Secretary of Defense.”
He then forgot to refer to Supreme Court Justice Kentanji Brown Jackson by her 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 refers to him simply as a “black man.”
In the video, Biden said: “This is about treating people with dignity. For example, look at the criticism I’m getting because I appointed a Secretary of Defense, a black man.” Secretary Lloyd Austin is photographed in Singapore this week
Biden has come under increased scrutiny since his disastrous debate performance against Donald Trump late last month, when he lost his train of thought and was left speechless.
Among concerned Democrats, calls for him not to seek re-election are reaching a fever pitch.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Speaker Emeritus Nancy Pelosi and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries are reportedly pressuring him to drop out of the race.
The official line from those lawmakers is that they did not pressure the president to drop out of the race.
President Joe Biden walks down the stairs of Air Force One at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware, Wednesday, July 17, 2024.
Biden is in self-isolation 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 directly expressed the full breadth of expertise, perspectives and conclusions reached on the path forward after extensive discussions among colleagues.”
“Any other characterization of the private, one-on-one meeting between President Biden and Leader Jeffries is speculative and misinformed,” the statement continued. “Leader Jeffries’ letter to House Democratic colleagues speaks for itself.”
The letter, published on Friday, did not give details about the substance 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 July 4, 2024 in Washington, DC.
Biden arrived in Delaware on Wednesday evening and was not scheduled to make any public appearances on Thursday.
Pressure on him not to seek re-election is reaching its peak
In total, 20 Democrats have urged Biden to drop out of the race.
On Wednesday, Rep. Adam Schiff, who is on track to win a Senate seat in California, made his fears public.
“While the decision 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, he will secure his legacy of leadership by enabling us to defeat Donald Trump in the upcoming election.”
Axios reported on Thursday that calls for Biden to step down have grown so strong that an announcement could come as early as this weekend.
The president flew from Las Vegas to Dover, Delaware, on Wednesday night and will remain at his home in Rehoboth Beach until he tests negative for COVID-19.