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US President Biden at the conference on hunger, nutrition and health in Washington
Photo: Yuri Gripas / UPI Photo / IMAGO
US President Joe Biden made an unpleasant mistake at a conference: he apparently thought a recently deceased MP was among the audience during his speech.
"Jackie, are you here?
Where's Jackie?” Biden asked at the White House-sponsored conference on hunger, nutrition and health.
The President was referring to Republican MP Jackie Walorski, who, along with other MPs, made the conference possible.
Walorski died in a car accident in August.
Biden said he was "shocked and saddened" in a statement.
"She was respected for her work by members of both parties," he said at the time.
Biden's spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said on Wednesday that the president had mentioned Walorski's name at the conference because he was thinking of the deceased MP.
Biden wanted to praise the “incredible work” of the MPs on the topic.
In addition, Walorski was very present in his thoughts because he had invited her family to the White House on Friday, said Jean-Pierre.
Biden will then sign legislation naming a clinic for veterans after Walorski.
"Of course she was on his mind," said Jean-Pierre.
When asked repeatedly whether Biden had made an embarrassing slip or whether the Walorski family is now entitled to an apology, the spokeswoman said: "My answer will certainly not change."
Notwithstanding the protestations, the incident is likely to fuel those critics of the president who have questioned the 79-year-old's mental abilities.
Biden is the oldest president in US history and has long been known for slips of the tongue and blunders.
The Democratic Party politician could run for a second term in the 2024 presidential election.
He would then be 81 years old.
Walorski died in August at the age of 58 with two employees in a car accident in her home state of Indiana.
According to police, a woman on the opposite lane lost control of her vehicle and steered head-on into Walorski's car.
All four involved died.
aar/AFP