Social Media Users Slams Biden For Forgetting Australian Prime Ministers Name, Calls Him “That Fella Down Under”
When U.S. President Joe Biden glanced away from his prepared remarks for a few seconds on Wednesday night, he seemed to forget who he was speaking to and referred Australia’s Prime Minister Scott Morrison as “the fella down under.”
The blunders occurred during a discussion between the two presidents and UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson on a defense agreement reached by the long-standing allies to assist Australia in the acquisition of nuclear-powered submarines, according to the BBC.
He turned to face the big screen on which Morrison was being shown. “Thank you Boris (Johnson) and I want to thank uh… that fella Down Under,”” Biden said.
“Thank you very much pal… appreciate it prime minister.”
The Australian leader merely returned a courteous grin and offered a thumbs up to the greeting.
US President Joe Biden appeared to forget PM Scott Morrison’s name during this morning’s historic announcement of the #AUKUS defence pact.
Biden said “I wanna thank that fella down under” after thanking UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
Full story: https://t.co/PZDzcslVMO pic.twitter.com/Bh3iLgNDyJ
— Nine.com.au (@Ninecomau) September 16, 2021
Social media users reacted negatively to the conversation, labeling Biden as “hopeless,” “embarrassing,” and “not up to the demands of the position” when it was broadcast.
As different news sources began to analyze the implications of the incident, the hashtag #THATFELLOWDOWNUNDER was quickly adopted on Twitter:
Joe Biden is just an old duffer, he’s not up to the job.
— Nigel Farage (@Nigel_Farage) September 16, 2021
Biden giving Morrison the Ron Swanson treatment 🤣 #THATFELLOWDOWNUNDER pic.twitter.com/69AWrZBDUi
— Avotoi (@Avotoi_) September 15, 2021
🧠 It’s moments like these 💡 #THATFELLOWDOWNUNDER pic.twitter.com/WlXtdeP7ck
— Matt Sanderson (@MattSanderson__) September 16, 2021
According to Breitbart News, the news conference was held in order to make public the new three-nation security agreement – known as AUKUS – that brings together Australia, the United States, and the United Kingdom.
In a new trilateral security cooperation, the United Kingdom and the United States will work together to assist Australia in the development of a new fleet of nuclear submarines.
“An intense examination of what we need to do to exercise our nuclear stewardship responsibilities here in Australia.” Morrison said of the next 18 months.
According to AFP, nuclear power has been extremely contentious in Australia, and the nation’s government officially prohibited the use of nuclear energy in 1998, despite the fact that the country possesses abundant uranium reserves.
Despite this, Morrison maintained that Australia was not attempting to develop nuclear weapons or a civil nuclear capacity.
In addition, he said, “We will continue to meet all of our nuclear non-proliferation obligations.”
According to AFP, Morrison told regional partners in a series of covert phone conversations before to the public announcement that the decision was based on maintaining “security and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific.”
New Zealand, on the other hand, was quick to express its dissatisfaction, with left-wing leader Jacinda Ardern declaring that nuclear submarines would never be permitted to operate in its territorial seas again.
