During last night’s State of the Union address, President Joe Biden acknowledged one of the guests accompanying his wife, First Lady Jill Biden.
The guest in question was Oksana Markarova, the Ukrainian ambassador to the United States.
In greeting the ambassador, Biden stated: “Tonight…we’re once again joined by Ukrainian’s ambassador to the United States. She represents not just her nation but the courage of her people. Ambassador…our ambassador is here. We’re united in our support of your country. Would you stand so that we could all take a look at you?”
Following this incident, Biden’s critics have argued that he either struggles to pronounce the ambassador’s name or has completely forgotten it, despite being in office for a year during a time of war with Russia, which is considered by many to be the United States’ greatest adversary, and after over $100 billion of taxpayer funding has been allocated for the defense of Ukraine.
It is probable that CNN was aware in advance that Jill Biden had a guest, and they were familiar with her name. However, it appears that Joe was not given proper instructions on how to pronounce the names. This was evident earlier in the night when he referred to Tyre Nichols as “Tyler” in front of his grieving parents.
Ambassador Markarova appeared slightly surprised, but whatever he muttered was inaudible. It did not seem to be her name.
Joe Biden continues, saying: “Because we’re going to stand with you, whoever you are, for as long as it takes!”
This incident has raised concerns among many of Biden’s Republican opponents regarding his mental health.
During Biden’s State of the Union speech, Utah Republican Senator Mike Lee tweeted, “He’s not well.”
Many observers noticed that Biden appeared to be speaking quickly and slurring his words.
Despite these concerns, Biden has declined to take any cognitive evaluations.
