The White House on Wednesday delivered a speech by President Joe Biden, in which he commented on the historically very important establishment of the Aukus security alliance. It aims to enable the United States, Britain and Australia to share advanced technologies, and thus strengthen security in the Indo-Pacific.
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However, Biden’s Wednesday speech will be remembered more like the one in which he forgot the name of his ally, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison. A significant overstep occurred when Biden tried to thank Britain and Australia for the new opportunity for cooperation. The prime ministers of both countries attended the press conference virtually. They were connected to the screens next to President Biden via a video line.
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“Thank you, Boris,” Biden said to British Prime Minister Boris Johnson. He then turned to Scott Morrison and was about to thank him. However, he did not get the words and it was clear that the American president was embarrassed.
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“And I want to thank that guy from the opposite leg. Thank you very much, buddy, “Biden said at last. “I appreciate that, Prime Minister,” he added. Apparently startled, Morrison responded with a smile and a “thumb up.” In English, Biden’s address to Morrison was “that fella down under.” The word fella can be translated as a guy or a guy. Down under is a term denoting Australia or New Zealand, literally meaning something like “down there”, but meaning “there from the opposite feet or out there”.
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Biden finally managed to remember the name of his ally. “I am honored to be joined today by the two closest allies – Australia and the United Kingdom – to launch a new phase of trilateral security cooperation between our countries,” Biden said later. “As Prime Minister Morrison and Prime Minister Johnson said, I want to thank you for this partnership,” Biden said of the Australian representative.
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But it was too late to save the situation. Biden’s tram immediately began to fill social networks. The Guardian pointed out that Twitter users are sharing posts under the hashtag #thatfelladownunder in which they criticize the US president or ridicule his unfortunate statement.
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“The guy from the opposite side is certainly the equivalent of meeting in a pub with someone whose name you don’t remember, and you can only come up with a friend.” she stated for example, one user on their twitter account. Others refer to Biden’s statement as “desperate” or “embarrassing.”
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However, Biden is not the only politician who has had trouble remembering the name of the Australian Prime Minister. Server Politico drew attention to a similar situation in which German Chancellor Angela Merkel found herself three years ago. In 2018, photographs of a German politician circled the world as she flipped through notes with information about the Australian Prime Minister and his photo during a meeting with Morrison during the G20 summit.
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