In a report published on Friday, June 23, 2023, The Telegraph, a British newspaper, stated that during a speech, US President Joe Biden mistakenly referred to the Indian national anthem as that of the United States.
When he was welcoming Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the White House, the two leaders stood on a podium, waiting for a military band to play the national anthems of the two countries.
An announcer loudly announced that the Indian national anthem would be played first, followed by the American national anthem.
Biden is in an awkward position with the Prime Minister of India
But at the start of India’s national anthem, “Jana Gana Mana,” Biden put his hand over his heart.It took the 80-year-old US commander in chief about 10 seconds to realize he wasn’t listening to his national anthem.
Modi was next to him singing the words of the Indian anthem, which does not sound like the American anthem.
Then Biden began, slowly and awkwardly, lowering his hand to his side, and it took about three seconds.And when the American national anthem began, he again placed his hand on his heart and kept it there throughout the performance of the anthem.
Republicans have called Biden an “embarrassment” on social media.
“It would have been so funny if it weren’t so sad,” said Alec Sears, the Republican digital strategist.
It was the latest in a series of missteps by Biden , and his age appears to be a major issue in the 2024 election.
US President Joe Biden and his wife Jill Biden receive Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the White House/Reuters
Earlier this week he sparked a diplomatic uproar by calling Chinese President Xi Jinping a “dictator”.
While he made an informal comment the day after US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken met with the Chinese president, in an effort to improve relations between Washington and Beijing.
