OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
President Joe Biden wasted no time following former President Donald Trump’s historic landslide victory in the Iowa caucuses last week in declaring him the GOP candidate to beat in the November election.
Biden took to X, formerly known as Twitter, soon after Iowa was called and said Trump is the “clear front runner” in the GOP presidential race.
Biden also wasted no time in beginning his fundraising campaign. He continued by slamming “extreme MAGA Republicans.”
“Looks like Donald Trump just won Iowa. He’s the clear frontrunner on the other side at this point. But here’s the thing: this election was always going to be you and me vs. extreme MAGA Republicans. It was true yesterday and it’ll be true tomorrow,” Biden wrote.
Biden followed up the statement with a request for donations to his 2023 re-election campaign.
Looks like Donald Trump just won Iowa. He’s the clear front runner on the other side at this point.
But here’s the thing: this election was always going to be you and me vs. extreme MAGA Republicans. It was true yesterday and it’ll be true tomorrow.
So if you’re with us, chip…
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) January 16, 2024
Meanwhile, Biden did not do himself any favors during his latest public appearance in North Carolina on Thursday as questions about his age and mental capacity continue to grow.
“Biden spent Thursday traveling to Raleigh, North Carolina, to tout his economic policies, often referred to as ‘Bidenomics.’ Throughout the trip meant to help the president ahead of the 2024 election, Biden committed several slip-ups and apparent gaffes when talking about his economic achievements, airstrikes in the Middle East and Washington, D.C.’s, annual March for Life,” The Daily Caller reported.
Biden began the day by taking a few questions from reporters
The president kicked off the day by taking a few questions from reporters before his departure, where he had several eyebrow-raising moments.
“Tomorrow is the March for Life in Washington D.C.,” Owen Jensen, EWTN White House correspondent, said.
“I know that,” Biden responded.
“What’s your message to those attending?” Jensen queried.
“March,” Biden replied.
What is your message for those attending the 2024 March for Life?
BIDEN: "March."#WhyWeMarch #ewtnprolife pic.twitter.com/2dxpVKJV4l— EWTN News Nightly (@EWTNNewsNightly) January 18, 2024
At another point, Biden was asked about the U.S.-led airstrikes against the Houthi rebels in Yemen.
“Are the airstrikes in Yemen working?” a reporter asked.
“Well, when you say working, do you mean stopping the Houthis? No,” the president answered. “Are they gonna continue? Yes.”
"Are they stopping the Houthis? No. Are they going to continue? Yes."
US President Joe Biden responds after being asked whether airstrikes in Yemen are working.https://t.co/O06qSSNmvz
📺 Sky 501, Virgin 602, Freeview 233 and YouTube pic.twitter.com/xvOv6lYbg5
— Sky News (@SkyNews) January 18, 2024
Biden’s subsequent missteps occurred when the president addressed a crowd in Raleigh. At one point, he seemed to be searching for Democratic North Carolina Rep. Deborah Ross, only to realize that he had mistaken her for someone else.
“Where’s Deborah? I just had my picture taken with her,” Biden says, looking around the crowd.
“Oh, she couldn’t be here, actually. That’s not true. I got it mixed up,” Biden realized.
Biden recognizes Rep. Deborah Ross: "Where's Deborah? I just had my picture taken with her … Oh, she couldn't be here, actually. That's not true. I got it mixed up." pic.twitter.com/mjxfcmoIxk
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) January 18, 2024
Later in Biden’s speech, during which he announced $82 million in new investments through the American Rescue Plan, the president provided a hypothetical scenario involving students having to rely on McDonald’s Wi-Fi to complete their schoolwork during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“How many of you spent time in McDonald’s parking lots tapping into their internet so you could do the homework with your kid?” Biden asked.
In another instance, Biden seemed to mix up his numbers while discussing his administration’s accomplishments in the state of North Carolina.
“To date, 400 — excuse me, 40,000 infrastructure projects have been announced across this nation,” the president stumbled.
“Since I’ve been to office, we’ve created 14 million new jobs. 440 new jobs in North Carolina only just since I came to office,” Biden continued.
At another point, while attempting to engage the crowd in a quiz about the number of billionaires in the U.S., Biden drifted away from the podium, seemingly forgetting about the microphone he was using to speak.
“You know how many billionaires we have in America today?” Biden said before a crowd member yelled a response back.
“1,000,” Biden said, walking further away from the microphone.
