President Biden says Putin is losing the war in Iraq
President Biden told a reporter outside the White House on Wednesday that Russian President Putin is "clearly losing the war in Iraq." (CBS)
USA Today omitted President Biden’s latest blunder from its coverage, failing to mention an apparent gaffe when he claimed that Russian President Vladimir Putin is currently "losing the war in Iraq."
"It’s hard to tell, but he’s clearly losing the war in Iraq. He's losing the war at home, and he has become a bit of a pariah around the world," Biden told a reporter outside the White House when asked "to what extent" Putin has been weakened by recent events in Russia, including a reported attempt at a mercenary coup.
Russia obviously isn’t at war with Iraq, so Biden’s comments were widely lampooned on social media. Some outlets, such as ABC News, presumed that Biden meant Ukraine instead of Iraq. But when USA Today covered Biden’s remarks, the paper failed to mention the President’s latest viral blunder.
President Biden faced criticism on social media Wednesday over an apparent gaffe when he claimed that Russian President Vladimir Putin is currently "losing the war in Iraq." (JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images)
USA Today White house correspondent Francesca Chambers completely omitted the "Iraq" flub, making no mention of the mistake.
"’He’s losing the war at home. And he has become a bit of a pariah around the world,’ Biden said of Putin," Chambers wrote.
When USA Today shared the article on Twitter, it was slapped with a note declaring, "Readers added context they thought people might want to know."
"While presented as a direct quote from the president, he actually said Putin was ‘losing the war in Iraq, losing the war at home,’" Twitter added.
President Joe Biden speaks with members of the media before boarding Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Wednesday, June 28, 2023, for a short trip to Andrews Air Force Base, Md., and then on to Chicago. Biden has started using a continuous positive airway pressure, or CPAP, machine at night to help with sleep apnea, the White House said Wednesday after indents from the mask were visible on his face. ((AP Photo/Andrew Harnik))
USA Today vehemently defended the article: "The partial quote is within our guidelines. We did not misrepresent President Biden's comment referencing Putin," USA TODAY Spokesperson Lark-Marie Anton told Fox News Digital.
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USA Today omitted President Biden’s latest blunder from its coverage, failing to mention an apparent gaffe when he claimed that Russian President Vladimir Putin is currently "losing the war in Iraq." (Newscast/UIG via Getty Images)
Bloomberg reporter Jenny Leonard initially cut Biden’s quote short, too, tweeting, "’It’s hard to tell, but he is clearly losing the war,’ Biden added. ‘He’s losing the war at home, and he has become a bit of a pariah around the world.’"
Leonard was also slapped with a missing context label on Twitter and eventually followed up.
"Biden says Putin is losing the war in Iraq (he means Ukraine). This is the second time this week he's confusing the two. He also called Ukraine Iraq during a fundraiser in Chevy Chase," the Bloomberg reporter wrote.
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President Joe Biden speaks with members of the media before boarding Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Wednesday, June 28, 2023, for a short trip to Andrews Air Force Base, Md., and then on to Chicago. ((AP Photo/Andrew Harnik))
Biden also raised eyebrows when onlookers noticed visible marks on his face during the conversation with reporters. It was later revealed that Biden used a CPAP machine Tuesday night while sleeping, because he has sleep apnea.
"Since 2008, the President has disclosed his history with sleep apnea in thorough medical reports. He used a CPAP machine last night, which is common for people with that history," deputy press secretary Andrew Bates said.
The USA Today report didn't mention the marks on Biden's face.
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Fox News’ Gabriel Hays, Andrew Mark Miller and Patrick Ward contributed to this report.