President Joe Biden made another verbal gaffe, bungling an acronym during a White House forum addressing leaders from the Pacific Islands, according to the New York Post.
Biden, 80, stumbled Monday when he was trying to use the acronym for the Pacific Islands Infrastructure Initiative, eventually giving up on the abbreviation entirely.
“Today I’m pleased to announce we’re working with Congress to invest $40 billion in our Pacific Islands Infrastructure Initiative,” he told the 18 assembled leaders. “We call it the P, PI — anyways, doesn’t matter what we call it, but that’s what it is.”
“I was gonna get back to acronyms, and I’m gonna withstand not doing that,” he added, drawing laughter.
President Biden met with Pacific Island leaders to hear their concerns about the impact of climate change on their region, and pledged increased U.S. funding to bolster their efforts.
“I want you to know I hear you, the people in the United States and around the world hear you,” he reportedly said.
The United States also officially established diplomatic relations with the Cook Islands and Niue, both located in the South Pacific, during the summit.
The Washington Times reported that Biden bizarrely stated he and the prime minister of the Cook Islands are from Baltimore during the summit.
After listing why the U.S. and the Cook Islands would benefit from diplomatic ties, the president reportedly put his hand on the shoulder of Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown and said, “The real reason is we are both from Baltimore, but that’s a long story.”
The Times reported that Brown laughed nervously at Biden’s remark.
Born in Scranton, Pennsylvania, Biden’s family moved to Delaware when he was 11 for his father’s job. He served as a senator from Delaware for more than 30 years before becoming vice president in the Obama White House.
According to the Times, there is no public record of him living or going to school in Baltimore or the surrounding area.
Brown was born in the Cook Islands in 1963 and went to school in New Zealand, and there are no records to indicate he lived or spent significant time in the United States.
Although Biden suffered from a speech impediment as a child, many critics have openly questioned his cognitive fitness and called on him to end his 2024 campaign for reelection, citing his advanced age.