Biden appears to forget name of his secretary of defense during BET interview

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Biden appears to forget the name of his secretary of defense, sparking more questions about president's acuity

President Biden faced criticism online after he appeared to forget the name of Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, calling him a "Black man" in an interview with BET.

Social media commentators and journalists criticized President Biden for appearing to forget Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin's name and only referring to him as a "Black man" in a recent interview, although others said the moment was being misread.

Biden has participated in a series of media appearances after his poor debate performance last month led to calls for him to withdraw from the race. 

"It's all about treating people with dignity," Biden said in an interview with Black Entertainment Television (BET). "I named the secretary of defense, a Black man." 

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Social media commentators and journalists criticized President Biden for appearing to forget Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin's name and calling him a "Black man" in a recent interview. (BET)

"I named Ketanji Brown," he added, referring to his appointment in 2022 of Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, the first Black woman on the Supreme Court.

It was unclear if Biden did forget Austin's name or was simply referring broadly to administration members and appointees who are Black.

The president also seemingly forgot Austin's name in March, calling him "the guy who runs that outfit over there."

Biden was announcing the nomination of two female generals to lead US military combatant commands during a White House event earlier this year. "And I want to thank the sec — the, the, ah, former general. I keep calling him general, but my, my — the guy who runs that outfit over there," he said in March.

President Joe Biden, right, sitting next to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, left, speaks at the beginning of his meeting with the Combatant Commanders in the Cabinet Room of the White House in Washington, Wednesday, May 15, 2024, before hosting them for a dinner.  (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

Political commentators and journalists were divided over Biden's comments, with some claiming that the president could not remember the name of one of his most critical Cabinet officials, while others said that the clip was being misinterpreted. 

"In the BET interview to woo black voters, President Biden appears to forget the name of Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin," conservative independent journalist Andy Ngo wrote. "He struggles for a moment and says, ‘the black man.'"

"Joe Biden can’t remember his secretary of defense’s name, just calls him a black man," OutKick founder Clay Travis wrote. "I can’t believe this is real[.]"

"I think people are misconstruing this clip," reporter Ken Klippenstein wrote. "If you listen closely, Biden seems to say 'the secretary of defense, a black man' not 'the black man'; and the context is he’s listing his black appointees[.]"

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Biden also told BET that he would consider withdrawing from the presidential race if he developed a medical condition that would preclude him from serving. 

"If I had some medical condition that emerged, the doctors came and said you've got this problem, that problem," Biden told BET's Ed Gordon when asked about what would cause him to leave the race. 

He continued, "But I made a serious mistake in the whole debate and, look, when I originally ran, you might remember it, I said I was going to be a transitional candidate. I thought that I would be able to move from this, to pass it on to somebody else. But I didn't anticipate things getting so, so, so divided."

Biden Campaign Senior Spokesperson Sarafina Chitika defended the president in a statement to Fox News Digital. 

"On Tuesday, President Biden talked at length about the importance of Black America, the historic ways he has delivered for Black communities, and his proactive vision to stand up for civil rights, grow an economy where hard work pays off, and make housing more affordable," Chitika said. 

"Meanwhile at the RNC, Donald Trump and his MAGA allies doubled down on extremism, division, and their Project 2025 agenda, making it clear that they are only interested in helping billionaires while turning Americans against each other," Chitika continued. "The choice couldn't be more clear."

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Biden announced on Wednesday he had tested positive for COVID-19 and had mild symptoms.

Fox News' Kyle Morris contributed to this report.