Biden bungles British ‘President’ Sunak’s title at White House visit
Who are you again?
President Biden tripped over British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s title during their White House meeting Thursday — referring to the UK pol as “Mr. President.”
The 80-year-old Biden’s gaffe came almost immediately after the two leaders sat down in the Oval Office ahead of their wide-ranging talks.
“Well, Mr. President,” Biden started to say before abruptly correcting himself. “Mr. President? I just demoted you.”
As Sunak, 43, laughed off the slip-up, Biden continued: “Mr. Prime Minister, it’s great to have you back.”
While Biden previously hosted Sunak’s predecessor, Boris Johnson, Thursday marked the first time Sunak himself has been at the White House.
It isn’t the first time Biden — who has a history of similar blunders — has slipped up when referring to the British prime minister.
Biden also butchered Sunak’s name in October at a White House Diwali event, telling his audience: “Just today, we’ve got news that Rashee, Rashee Sanook is now the prime minister.”
During Thursday’s sit-down, Biden reflected on how the US and UK had worked side by side throughout history — pointing to meetings that Prime Minister Winston Churchill and President Franklin D. Roosevelt held in the White House during World War II.
“You know, Prime Minister Churchill and Roosevelt met here a little over 70 years ago and they asserted that the strength of the partnership between Great Britain and the United States was strength of the free world,” Biden told Sunak.
“I still think there’s truth to that assertion.”
Sunak later joked that he wouldn’t impose on Biden like Churchill had when he allegedly wandered around the White House naked in the middle of the night as a guest of Roosevelt back in 1941.
“It’s daunting to think of the conversations that our predecessors had in this room, when they had to speak of wars that they fought together, peace won together,” Sunak told Biden.
“Again, for the first time in over half a century, we face a war on the European continent, and as we’ve done before, the US and the UK have stood together to support Ukraine.”
Ukraine was expected to be high on the agenda for Biden and Sunak, as well as topics related to China, economic security and international cooperation on regulating the growing field of artificial intelligence.
Sunak came armed with two gifts for Biden for his visit — a personalized Barbour jacket and a book written in the 19th century by one of Biden’s ancestors.
