President Biden raised eyebrows Thursday when he appeared to confuse a woman he posed with for a Democratic North Carolina congressman who was not in attendance.
“I'd like to mention Congresswoman Deborah Ross. Where's Deborah?” Biden asked a North Carolina audience in a speech Thursday.
“I just took a picture with her, and that's probably why she left,” Biden continued, drawing laughter from the audience.
“Well, actually, she's not supposed to be here,” Biden continued. “That's not true. We mixed it up.”
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President Biden seems to be confusing women with members of Congress. (Chris Kleponis/CNP/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
It is unclear who Biden was photographed with and who he was “mistaken” for.
Fox News Digital reached out to the White House and Rep. Ross' office for clarification, but did not immediately receive a response.
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conservatives on social media jumped right away Critics criticized the comment as a troubling sign of Biden's mental sharpness.
Biden's comments also prompted social media users to say the president seemed to have forgotten about Indiana Rep. Jackie Walorski's death when they asked him where he was on stage after her death. This gave me an opportunity to bring up my previous gaffe.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters that Biden was not confused about whether Walorski was alive and in the room, but rather because he was scheduled to meet with her family later this week. “I was thinking about that the most,” he said.
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President Biden's age is under scrutiny. (Yuri Gripas/Abaka/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Since taking office, Biden has been widely criticized by conservatives for his age, including some who have publicly questioned his mental acuity.
A poll late last year found that 76% of voters agreed that Biden is “too old” to serve a second term, while 48% said the same about former President Donald Trump, who is 77 years old.
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The White House has repeatedly defended Biden's mental health. (Bryn Anderson Poole/Getty Images)
According to recent reports, Mr. Biden has consistently held several closed-door meetings with his big donors to allay concerns about the 2024 election, including concerns about his age and energy.
The White House said in November that Jean-Pierre had expressed “the president's stamina, the president's wisdom, his ability to get this done on behalf of the American people, to anyone, to anyone. He has fiercely defended Biden's mental acuity on numerous occasions, including when he said, day of week. “
