US President Joe Biden’s latest blunder-filled speech at a Nato summit made him sound like he was speaking pidgin English, a top linguist says.
In a woeful set of speeches in Washington DC on Thursday Biden mistakenly introduced Volodymyr Zelensky as “President Putin” before mixing up Kamala Harris with Donald Trump.
GettyA top linguist has said US President Joe Biden’s latest blunder-filled speech at a Nato summit made him sound like he was speaking pidgin English[/caption]
RexOne of his worst blunders saw him introduce Volodymyr Zelensky as his main rival and the man trying to take over his country ‘President Putin’[/caption]
AFPCalls have been increasing for Biden to quit the election campaign due to the issues with his speeches and debates in recent weeks[/caption]
Linguist John McWhorter says Biden’s speech has rapidly declined since he was first elected in 2020Getty
The blunders marked the latest in a string of errors Biden has been ridiculed for as even his most senior Democratic colleagues call for him to quit.
Now even former President Barack Obama is thought to be manoeuvring behind the scenes to get him out of the race.
With major Democratic donors reportedly calling for Biden to be replaced or they’ll freeze $90million worth of pledges to the party.
The largest pro-Biden super PAC, Future Forward, has said their funding is on hold for the foreseeable future, claim two sources who the New York Times say have been briefed on the conversations.
Bumbling Biden’s verbal skills have rapidly “unravelled” in recent weeks with almost every time he talks proving to be more worrying than the last, says Columbia University linguist John McWhorter.
Biden, 81, made an offensive Zelensky mix-up in front of Nato leaders and reporters that quickly elicited gasps from around the room.
One way to understand what is happening is to think of it as unravelling
John McWhorter
Biden quickly fixed the mistake as he greeted Ukraine‘s leader – the man who has tried to stop Putin decimating his country for over two years – onto the stage.
“Going to beat President Putin, President Zelensky. I am so focused on beating Putin,” Biden went on to correct.
Speaking at a separate press conference later in the evening, Biden then confused his Vice President Harris with his political foe Trump.
McWhorter, also a New York Times columnist, described the elderly president’s speech as a total calamity.
He wrote in his most recent column that the garbled nature of Biden’s words seemed like a mix-up of two or more languages.
The top linguist said: “It is alarming to see someone who is asking to be elected president of the United States – someone who already serves as president of the United States – communicate in such an ineffective manner.
“But what is actually going on there, linguistically? One way to understand what is happening is to think of it as unravelling.”
McWhorter says he is amazed at how far Biden’s use of language has “strayed from the complexities and subtleties he once controlled effortlessly” in interviews from his previous election trail.
The manner in which he spoke in the debates against rival Trump back in 2020 is why many picked Biden over the controversial Republican.
But he is now using “chunks” rather than forming proper sentences, says McWhorter.
He pointed to a recent interview with ABC where a slurring Biden exclaimed “large crowds, overwhelming response, no slipping”, in broken English.
Another bizarre turn of phrase used in the damming interview saw him say: “I’ll feel as long as I gave it my all and I did the goodest job as I know I can do, that’s what this is about.”
The sentence was quickly picked out and blasted online with even ABC later adjusting it in its transcript to read “I did good as job.”
Biden’s post-debate gaffes
PRESIDENT Joe Biden’s gaffes have increased at an alarming rate over the past few years.
Biden alarmingly described himself as a “Black woman” during a radio interview with Philadelphia station WURD on Thursday.
“I’m proud to be, as I said, the first vice president, first black woman… to serve with a black president,” Biden said, appearing to confuse himself with Vice President Kamala Harris.
Biden previously served as VP to President Barack Obama, the US’ first black president, which is likely the source of his confusion.
The president also attempted to go off-script and insult rival, Donald Trump, while addressing military families during the White House’s Fourth of July barbecue.
While Biden came in strong, he fumbled his word and came crashing down.
“By the way, you know I was at that World War I cemetery in France and a – the one that one of our colleagues, a former president, didn’t want to go and be up there,” Biden said in an apparent dig at former president Donald Trump.
“I probably shouldn’t even say that. Anyway,” he continued as his voice dimmed.
After shocking the audience, he quickly went back on script and tried to get the energy back up.
He introduced Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as “President Putin” at the NATO conference.
He then mixed up Vice President Kamala Harris with Donald Trump
The confusing sentence was described as being pidgin language by the linguist who said it was concerning to see such a “rapid decline of complex sentence structure”.
McWhorter continued: “‘Pidgins do a basic job but aren’t designed for detail, grace or suasion. Increasingly, Biden’s speech submits to an alarmingly similar judgement.”
It comes as Biden finally conceded that he would quit the 2024 presidential race for the White House if “everyone says we want someone else”.
While speaking at a news conference yesterday, Biden was asked if he would give his blessing to Democratic colleagues if they choose to shift their support to another candidate.
But the president swore: “It’s not going to happen.”
It comes as he also mistakenly called himself a “black woman” during a radio interview this week.
The president also appeared to forget the name of Sir Keir Starmer after he became the new UK Prime Minister.
Sir Keir hit back at claims the US President was “senile” after holding an hour-long bilateral meeting in the White House.
When asked by the BBC whether Biden was senile after an increasing number of people are implying that he is, the PM slapped it down.
He said: “No, we had a really good bilateral yesterday, we were billed for 45 minutes, we went on for the best part of an hour, we went through a huge number of issues at pace.
“He was actually on really good form.”
How could Biden be removed from race?
CALLS for Joe Biden to end his reelection campaign have mounted since his poor presidential debate night performance on June 27
After the debate, the 81-year-old president’s cognitive health concerns were once again a pressing topic among news outlets and his allies in the Democratic Party.
What has Joe Biden said about his future in the race?
Biden has remained defiant and shot down calls for him to step aside in the upcoming presidential election.
The Biden administration was forced to deny reports that the president confided to a close ally that he is considering withdrawing from the race.
In a July 5 interview with ABC News, Biden said that “no one is more qualified” to win the race than him, adding only the “Lord Almighty” could convince him to resign.
On July 8, Biden sent a scathing letter to Congressional DNC members who have called on him to step down.
“I want you to know that despite all the speculation in the press and elsewhere, I am firmly committed to staying in this race, to running this race to the end, and to beating Donald Trump,” the president wrote.
Biden proceeded to slam “elites” in a live interview with MSNBC, daring any challenger to run against him.
How could Joe Biden be removed from the ballot?
Since the June 27 debate night, a growing number of Congressional Democrats have called on Biden to end his reelection campaign.
So far, five out of the 213 DNC members in Congress have publicly called for Biden to quit the race.
As Biden continues to emphasize his status in the upcoming election, many are wondering whether the 25th Amendment should be used to oust him.
What is the 25th Amendment?
The 25th Amendment of the Constitution states the vice president shall replace a president if they die in office or resign or if members of the president’s cabinet declare the president is unable to fulfill the duties of their office.
Labor Secretary Julie Su, who would need to invoke the 25th Amendment, called the idea “absurd.”
SplashMajor Democratic donors are reportedly calling for Biden to be replaced or they’ll freeze $90million worth of pledges to the party[/caption]
SplashSir Keir Starmer backed Biden when asked if he was becoming ‘senile’[/caption]
