President Biden on Monday seemed to forget Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s name at an event at the White House – calling the Pentagon chief “the guy who runs that unit over there.”
Biden was announcing the appointment of two female generals to lead the combatant military commands of the United States.
“And I want to thank the sec – o, ah, ex-general. I keep calling him a general, but my, my – the guy who runs that unit over there,” said Biden.
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“I want to thank the secretary for everything he did to try to implement what we just talked about. And for recommending these two women for promotion.”
Lloyd Austin, US Secretary of Defense appointed to President-elect Joe Biden, speaks during a confirmation hearing at the Senate Armed Services Committee in Washington, DC, USA, on Tuesday, January 19, 2021. Photographer: Jim Lo Scalzo / EPA / Bloomberg via Getty Images
At the beginning of the event, Biden mentioned the Defense Department leader by his name, “Secretary Austin”, while he seemed to be reading on a teleprompter.
Biden, 78, has already had problems with the names of his cabinet secretary’s selections. In December, he incorrectly pronounced the name of his nominee for the Department of Health and Human Services, Xavier Becerra, before correcting himself with another pronunciation error.
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Biden on Monday appointed Air Force General Jacqueline Van Ovost to lead the U.S. Transportation Command and Army Lieutenant General Laura Richardson to lead the U.S. Southern Command. Their nominations must be confirmed by the Senate.
Biden announced his selections in celebration of International Women’s Day.
They would be the second and third women to hold such high positions, following Gen. Lori Robinson retired from the Air Force, who headed the United States Northern Command from 2016 to 2018.