White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre made an awkward mistake when mentioning President Joe Biden during a press briefing.
“As you all saw just an hour or so ago, President Obama announced that — um, pardon me, President Biden. Woah! That is news,” she said.
Jean-Pierre added, “I know. I know. We’re going back, not forwards. We got to go forward.”
Watch the video below:
JUST IN: @PressSec Karine Jean-Pierre mistakenly referred to @POTUS Joe Biden as "President @BarackObama" during Thursday's press briefing.
— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) February 23, 2023
READ: https://t.co/bzoPBKZklV pic.twitter.com/lLFRA0PJDd
She previously served as regional political director for the White House Office of Political Affairs during the Obama administration as well as deputy battleground states director for President Obama’s 2012 campaign, per the White House.
Her mistake came as she was discussing Biden’s nomination for the president of the World Bank.
It was reported earlier on Thursday that Biden nominated Ajay Banga, a former Mastercard executive, to serve in the position.
“He has spent more than three decades building and managing successful, global companies that create jobs and bring investment to developing economies, and guiding organizations through periods of fundamental change,” Biden said in a statement.
The statement continued, “He also has critical experience mobilizing public-private resources to tackle the most urgent challenges of our time, including climate change.”
U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen expressed her approval of Biden’s choice in a statement.
“He has the right leadership and management skills, experience living and working in emerging markets, and financial expertise to lead the World Bank at a critical moment in its history, deliver on its core development goals, and evolve the Bank to meet global challenges like climate change,” she said.
The World Bank is a group of 187 nations and lends money to developing countries as part of an effort to combat poverty, CNN explained.
According to the World Bank’s website, the organization has “funded over 12,000 development projects, via traditional loans, interest-free credits, and grants” since 1947.
