President Joe Biden has wrapped his tour of Asia. The president visited India and Vietnam to solidify trade ties, among other things. The five-day tour did run up against the 22nd anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. Biden would be unable to attend any of the memorial ceremonies stateside, opting to commemorate America’s deadliest terror attack on a military base in Alaska. Past presidents have usually visited one of the three sites of the attack. He also lied during that speech—Biden was never at ground zero.
Now, the president doesn’t control his social media accounts. Seldom does a politician operate their own account at this level. Obama did occasionally, marked by a “BO” after the post, but this tweet posted during Biden’s Vietnam visit was an all-around embarrassment for the White House communications team. It seems no one knew who Biden was shaking hands with after a productive meeting with Vietnamese officials.
Our own John Hasson captured the error:
YIKES
— John Hasson (@SonofHas) September 12, 2023
Biden’s team just posted a picture thanking Vietnam President Võ Văn Thưởng
There’s just one problem—that’s not Thưởng in the picture
It’s Vuong Dinh Hue, Chairman of the National Assembly 😬 pic.twitter.com/MeVpPzKCbS
Biden’s team just posted a picture thanking Vietnam President Võ Văn Thưởng
There’s just one problem—that’s not Thưởng in the picture
It’s Vuong Dinh Hue, Chairman of the National Assembly
Biden deletes tweet thanking Vietnamese president with photo of the wrong leader https://t.co/y35ELBp9R0 pic.twitter.com/lEKiVLxBnJ
— New York Post (@nypost) September 12, 2023
Here’s a brief recap of his trip by the Associated Press:
President Joe Biden on Monday wrapped up a five-day diplomatic sprint through Vietnam and India that put a spotlight on imperfect partners that he believes will be crucial for global stability in the years to come.
The whirlwind visit demonstrated that as Russia’s war on Ukraine plods on with no end in sight, Biden appears to have become more willing to look past differences with complicated allies that he badly needs to keep close for the sake of stability in the Indo-Pacific, Middle East and beyond.
Biden closed out his Asia trip in Hanoi on Monday by spotlighting new business deals and partnerships with Vietnam after celebrating the Communist government’s elevation of the U.S.-Vietnam relationship to a comprehensive strategic partnership.
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A five-day trip happened, meaning Biden must go on three-and-a-half weeks of vacation.
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