Due to US President Joe Biden’s rhetorical gaffe, the ASEAN regional organization in Southeast Asia unexpectedly welcomed a new member from another continent on Saturday.
As he began discussions with regional leaders in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, under the chairmanship of Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, Biden said, “I want to congratulate the prime minister for Colombia’s leadership as Asean chair.”
He informed the media that he was “going over to Colombia,” but immediately clarified, “I mean Cambodia.” For all of his illustrious career in Washington, where he will be 80 this month, Biden has been renowned as a gaffe machine.
Although geographically challenged, his most recent error may have been less obvious than Vice President Kamala Harris’s remark made during a visit to the demilitarized zone separating North and South Korea in September.
