On Monday (January 16), while attempting to sing Happy Birthday to Martin Luther King III’s wife, President Joe Biden seemingly forgot her name.
Biden made the gaffe during the annual Martin Luther King Jr. breakfast in Washington, D.C.
During the breakfast, a commemorative event in honor of the slain civil rights leader, Biden sang happy birthday to the daughter-in-law of the late civil rights leader, Andrea Waters King.
Waters King’s birthday coincides with the National day of remembrance.
Biden, who attended the event hosted by Reverend Al Sharpton’s National Action Network, began by stating a rule First Lady Jill Biden had, saying, “when it’s somebody’s birthday, you sing ‘Happy Birthday.'”
The President then led the crowd in singing “Happy Birthday” to Waters King.
However, when it was time to insert Andrea’s name in the song, according to a report by The Daily Mail, Biden is heard saying, “Valerie.”
Biden has become known for his gaffes and his inability to remember names.
In July 2021, Biden struggled to pronounce the last name of Xavier Becerra, his Health and Human Services Secretary.
Biden began to introduce Becerra, calling him by his first name, then as he struggled to say the Secretary’s last name, referred to him as “Mr. Secretary.”
The pattern continued in September 2021, when Biden, seemingly forgetting the name of Australia’s Prime Minister, Scott Morrison, simply referred to him as “that fella from down under.”
Then, again in December 2021, Biden appears to forget the name of Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas.
While praising the work of mayors, Biden describes Lucas as “like your mayor here.”
He also forgot former President Barack Obama’s name while touting his “cancer moonshot” initiative.
Biden stumbles when trying to recall the Obama administration, saying, “Under the administration … the administration I served in last.”
In November, while stumping for Wes Moore to be governor of Maryland, Biden stutters when trying to recall Wes’s last name, finally shouting, “Wes Moore,” when he realized supporters were holding signs with the gubernatorial candidate’s full name.
