Joe Biden’s attempt to save his candidacy took a dramatic turn on Thursday after he named former President Donald Trump his vice president. 

Biden held a press conference on Thursday, and senior officials from his administration attended the meeting. The press conference, which was aimed at rescuing his candidacy, took a dramatic turn after the president mistook Trump for his vice president. 

With pressure mounting on Joe Biden to drop out of the 2024 race, a reporter asked Biden if he had any concerns about Vice President Kamala Harris’s chances of beating Trump if she wins the Democrat ticket. 

“I wouldn’t have picked Vice President Trump to be vice president,” Biden responded to the reporter. “though  I think she was not qualified to be president, so let’s start there, number one.”

Though it’s not clear what Biden meant to say, the gaffe left White House senior officials extremely uncomfortable, with many of them unable to hide their dismay.  Secretary of State Anthony Blinken let his gaze drop while National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan put his hand to his mouth. 

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was able to keep his reaction under control, with the senior White Official just staring blankly at his boss. 

Biden also mistook Ukraine’s President Zelensky as Russian President Vladimir Putin during the press conference that was held at the end of the recent NATO summit.

“Now, I want to hand it over to the president of Ukraine, who has as much courage as he has determination,” Biden said as he introduced Zelensky. “Ladies and gentlemen, President Putin.”

Biden, however, realized his mistake and attempted to correct his error.

“President Putin,” Biden corrected himself. “He’s going to beat President Putin — President Zelensky. I’m so focused on beating Putin, we got to worry about it.”

Biden’s error left Nato leaders with missed reactions, with some utterly confused. 

The president’s error also shocked Zelensky, with footage showing the Ukrainian leader nodding and then shaking his head in disbelief.