Stateside Stories

Public speaking is one key skill that the President of the United States must have. Judgements about competency, professionalism and intellect will be made based on the ability of the President to communicate with the public. Former Presidents such as John Kennedy, Ronald Reagan and Barack Obama have legacies as brilliant orators; which is why all of them are remembered fondly by the American people, regardless of how effective their policies really were. The current President, Joe Biden, is certainly not known for his ability to speak eloquently or even coherently. Whenever Biden has to speak in public, stories will quickly emerge in the news about his latest gaffes. These gaffes have become so frequent and severe in nature that members of the Democrat Party are calling for him to stand down in the upcoming election. Only one other President has come close to Biden in terms of gaffes; George W. Bush, who was the President from 2001 to 2009. I will be looking at some of the worst blunders from both of these Presidents that served to embarrass their staff and make Americans hold their heads in shame.

George W. Bush

The 43^rd President has made so many blunders that the term ‘Bushisms’ has been used to describe them. Bush was the President that oversaw the ‘War on Terror’ and fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan. From the beginning many questioned the necessity of the ‘War on Terror’, especially the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Bush’s failure to justify the invasion when speaking in public only served to make doubts grow. When speaking about Islamic Fundamentalists in 2004, Bush revealed that “Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we. They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we”. Was this an example of a Freudian slip? It would not be the last time that Bush accidentally revealed his guilt for the world to see. Years later, in 2022, when talking about the war between Russia and Ukraine, Bush accidentally condemns Putin for a “wholly unjustified and brutal invasion of Iraq”. Bush quickly realised his mistake and blamed it on his old age, but the damage was done. Bush accidentally aired the opinion that many people had held for nearly two decades. At least he finally admitted that what he did was wrong, even if it was accidental.  

Bush has also made plenty of gaffes when discussing domestic policy. Education was a key policy area for the Bush administration; the ‘No Child Left Behind’ act of 2001 intended to break down barriers for disadvantaged students. Bush wanted it to be easier for those from impoverished backgrounds to attend university and access resources such as textbooks. There has been a lot of debate over whether this has worked. Most of those who attend university are wealthy, and schools in low-income areas still suffer from a lack of resources. Bush’s words on the matter were also not exactly reassuring. He asked the important question: “is our children learning?” on his 2000 campaign trail. This showed that perhaps he was not the best person to be discussing education. He also came up with the truly inspiring statement “you teach a child to read, and he or she will be able to pass a literacy test”. You would hope so. Bush’s sympathy towards struggling families was displayed in not-so-eloquent speech. He reassured struggling parents that “I know how hard it is for you to put food on your family”. This statement led to confusion rather than reassurance. Frequently, Bush has tried to demonstrate that he wants to support the American people. However, his words have often made people feel uneasy, could he really help them?

Bush has tried to get the message across that he is not someone to be messed with. After winning the 2000 election by a margin that was so small that it had to go to the Supreme Court, he proudly states that “they misunderestimated me”. This a phrase that has become famous, as Bush’s desire to express his competency backfired terribly. One thing that certainly cannot be ‘misunderestimated’ was Bush’s ability to create brand new words out of thin air. Bush also wanted to prove that he could not be taken advantage of with his now infamous statement “there’s an old saying in Tennessee -I know it’s in Texas, probably in Tennessee- that says fool me once, shame on- shame on you. Fool me twice – you can’t get fooled again.” Clearly, Bush did not want to utter the phase ‘shame on me’, so he had to think quickly about what he could say instead. This resulted in a rambling statement that made little sense. Bush hoped that people would take him seriously; instead people laughed at him. He will be remembered as the President who made more gaffes than any other; until Joe Biden came along.

Joe Biden

Joe Biden has finally made the decision to stand down from the 2024 presidential race, after many serious blunders made top officials in the Democrat Party question his ability hold office for another four years. In the last couple of weeks, Joe Biden has made gaffes that left many people shocked and concerned for his cognitive ability. At the recent NATO summit, he confused his Vice President Kamala Harris with Donald Trump. Even more alarmingly, he confused Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Given Russia’s brutal invasion and occupation of Ukraine, this blunder could have caused a diplomatic incident. Luckily, Zelensky brushed it off, perhaps understanding that Joe Biden’s memory is not what it should be. It was these moments of confusion that sealed Biden’s fate; the Democrat Party no longer had any confidence in him.

Biden’s four years as President has been plagued by gaffes that heavily undermined his credibility. At the beginning of his Presidency, Peter Doocy, a journalist from Fox News, asked Biden if inflation was issue that he hoped to tackle. Biden responded sarcastically that inflation was nothing to worry about, before calling the journalist a “stupid son of a bitch.” This outburst was incredibly unprofessional and marked a shaky start to Biden’s time in the Oval Office. Forgetting people’s names was a major problem for Biden. This forgetfulness can easily be mistaken for rudeness; the same kind he displayed when talking to Peter Doocy. When unveiling the Australia, UK and US security partnership (AUKUS) with Boris Johnson and Scott Morrison, Biden forgot Morrison’s name and referred to him as “that fella down under”. The colloquial choice of language could have easily been interpreted as Biden downplaying Morrison’s role in the partnership.He also mistakenly called Rishi Sunak “Rashee Sanook” and referred to him as “Mr President” when meeting him in Washington DC in 2023. He corrected himself by jokingly stating that he had promoted Sunak; suggesting that the Prime Minister of United Kingdom was of lower status than the President of the United States.  

Biden’s gaffes have often emphasised his old age, making him appear weak and fragile. Shortly after beginning his term as President in 2021, Biden tripped up the staircase of Air Force One three times. He was uninjured but the incident made him appear frail and suggested that his age may hamper his ability to govern the country. In 2023, Biden tripped over a sandbag and fell on stage in Colorado after handing out diplomas at an Air Force graduation ceremony. He had to be helped back up, but was not hurt. However, the moment was embarrassing and undermined his credibility. Political opponent Donald Trump mocked Biden for his fall, stating “that’s not inspiring”.

Another blunder occurred in 2023, when a viral video emerged of Biden falling off his bike in Delaware. The way that he fell was fairly comical, as he fell in slow motion before landing on the pavement in front of many surprised onlookers. Once again, Biden was uninjured but had to be helped back up. The constant assistance that Biden has required has called his competency into question. After all, Biden cannot even walk up some stairs properly, how will he be able to govern one of the most powerful nations on Earth? Four years’ worth of humiliating blunders has led to an erosion in confidence towards Biden’s capabilities. Even previous supporters have lost faith in Biden, he is too old and forgetful to run for a second term. Biden tried to ignore this lack of confidence for several weeks, but it reached a point where it could no longer be brushed under the rug. This led to Biden’s decision to step away from the presidential race, with Vice President Kamala Harris being the likely candidate to take over.