President Biden found himself under scrutiny as he appeared to stumble over his words and glance at his teleprompter instructions, in a rare address to the nation from the Oval Office. The 80-year-old commander-in-chief, seemingly unaware he was live, stared aimlessly at the camera, squinting in the glare of the lights before gathering his thoughts.
At a crucial juncture, Biden appeared to read a teleprompter instruction aloud: “We’ll have something that we do not seek — make it clear we do not seek — we do not seek to have American troops fighting in Russia.” This incident followed a similar occurrence last year when he read out “repeat the line” during a speech.
Biden’s apparent reliance on teleprompter cues did not go unnoticed, triggering online mockery. Some netizens derided the incident, posting comments such as “Teleprompter- 1 Biden – Zero.” Filmmaker and aspiring politician Robby Starbuck tweeted his astonishment, saying, “As Biden stumbles using a teleprompter just know this was the best take they could get out of him for an address to the nation. The very BEST take. Think about that folks…”
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The president’s address came after his whirlwind trip to Israel amid the ongoing conflict between the Jewish state and a terror group, which initiated an unprecedented attack on October 7. During his address, Biden urged Congress to swiftly pass billions in new funding for Ukraine, emphasizing that “time is of the essence” to prevent larger conflicts in Europe and the Middle East.
This incident was not the first time Biden faced criticism for his teleprompter usage. Last year, he made a similar error while delivering opening remarks before signing an executive order safeguarding abortion rights after the US Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. Quoting from the court’s majority opinion, Biden said, “One of the most extraordinary parts of the decision in my view is the majority writes, and I quote, ‘Women … ’ — it’s a quote now, from the majority — ‘women are not without electoral or political power. It is noteworthy that the percentage of women who registered to vote and cast a ballot is consistently higher than the percentage of the men who do so.’ End of quote.” He immediately followed this by saying “Repeat the line” and quoting the opinion again, leading social media users to mock the incident.
Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, chimed in, likening the incident to a scene from the 2004 movie “Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy,” where Will Ferrell’s character made a similar blunder.
In response to the incident, a White House spokesperson clarified that Biden had intended to say “Let me repeat the line” during his speech, attempting to quell the online uproar surrounding the president’s teleprompter use.
