Biden tells crowd about 2021 meeting with French president who died in 1996

President Biden told a crowd at a campaign fundraiser about a 2021 meeting he had with French President Francois Mitterrand, who died in 1996.

The remarks came at a campaign fundraiser in Las Vegas on Sunday, according to a transcript released late Monday.

During his remarks, Mr. Biden was explaining to the crowd how world leaders viewed former President Trump, saying that they were concerned he would return to power.

He recounted a story he’s told many times about a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron during a June 2021 meeting of the leaders of the world’s seven largest economies in the United Kingdom.

Except, Mr. Biden confused Mitterrand for Mr. Macron.

“I sat down and I said, ‘America’s back,’” Mr. Biden recalled. “And Mitterrand from Germany — I mean from France — looked at me and said, ‘Well how long are you back for?’”

Mitterrand, who was France’s president from 1981 to 1995, died in 1996.

It was the second major memory gaffe by Mr. Biden in the past two weeks.

Last month, he looked into the audience at an event in North Carolina searching for Rep. Deborah Ross, saying he had just posed for a picture with her before realizing the lawmaker was back in Washington and he’d taken a photo with someone else.

“Where’s Deborah?” Mr. Biden said, scanning the audience for the North Carolina Democrat.

“I just had my picture taken with her. That’s probably why she left,” he joked, appearing confused by her absence and continuing to look for her.

“Oh, she couldn’t be here, actually. That’s not true. I got her mixed up,” Mr. Biden said finally. “You know, she fights very hard for the people of this district and she’s up in Washington right now.”

At 81, Mr. Biden is the oldest president in U.S. history.

But a string of gaffes, blunders, and moments of confusion have fueled attacks about his age from political opponents. White House officials have consistently rejected the charge, insisting Mr. Biden remains intellectually engaged and sharp.

In September 2022, Mr. Biden raised alarms at an event when asked for former Rep. Jackie Walorski, Indiana Republican, to stand up at a White House conference on ending hunger. Ms. Walorski had died a month earlier, a fact apparently forgotten by Mr. Biden.