In Canada, Biden Giant Teleprompter “I Applaud China,” Struggles and Gaffes

On March 24, 2023, President Joe Biden traveled to Ottawa, Canada, for a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and an address to the Canadian Parliament. The visit, intended to strengthen U.S.-Canadian relations and discuss climate change, Ukraine, and immigration, became notable for a series of verbal stumbles and gaffes by Biden, including accidentally praising China instead of Canada during his parliamentary address, struggling to read from his teleprompter, and scrambling for pre-approved notes during the bilateral meeting. The video also captured remarks from Vice President Kamala Harris about her upcoming Africa trip.

Biden Accidentally Applauds China

The most widely discussed moment of the visit occurred during Biden’s address to the Canadian Parliament. Reading from a large teleprompter, Biden declared: “So today I applaud China for stepping out, excuse me, I applaud Canada. You can tell what I’m thinking.”

The Canadian Parliament laughed at the error. Biden’s quick self-correction and his quip about what he was thinking drew attention because the gaffe occurred during a formal address to a key U.S. ally, and the substitution of China for Canada was seen as particularly unfortunate given the geopolitical tensions between the West and Beijing at the time.

The incident was one of several teleprompter-related difficulties Biden experienced during the parliamentary speech, raising questions about his reliance on prepared remarks during high-profile diplomatic events.

Struggling With “In Flanders Fields”

During his address, Biden attempted to quote from the famous World War I poem “In Flanders Fields” by Canadian poet Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae. As captured in the transcript, Biden’s reading was somewhat garbled: “In the words of a Canadian poet, Lieutenant Colonel John McCree still called to us from Flandersfield, echoing their charge through the ages. And I quote it, to you from failing hands, we throw the torch to you to hold it high.”

Biden mispronounced the poet’s name as “McCree” rather than “McCrae” and appeared to struggle reading the passage from his teleprompter, stumbling over the phrasing of the iconic poem that holds deep significance in Canadian culture and is traditionally recited on Remembrance Day.

Bilateral Meeting With Trudeau

Before the parliamentary address, Biden sat down for a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Trudeau. As the two leaders took their seats, Trudeau warmly greeted Biden: “What a real pleasure it is to welcome President Biden to Ottawa, back to Ottawa. It’s so great to see you, Joe. Obviously, we’ve been working closely together over the past few years on how to build strong economies for everyone in our two countries and around the world.”

However, Biden appeared distracted during Trudeau’s opening remarks. Rather than paying attention to the Prime Minister’s welcome, Biden was observed rifling through his notecards, seemingly searching for his pre-approved talking points. The moment drew commentary as Biden appeared unprepared for the meeting despite it being a scheduled event with a close ally.

When reporters attempted to ask questions at the conclusion of the bilateral meeting, Biden and Trudeau stared at the press without responding as reporters were ushered from the room. Biden used a pre-approved list of reporters to call on during a subsequent press availability, calling on a specific journalist: “All right, I guess the first person I’m calling on is Josh. Josh, brother, Josh.”

Biden on China and Russia

During the Canada visit, Biden made remarks about the global threat landscape that drew scrutiny. He stated: “Look, I don’t take China lightly. I don’t take Russia lightly. But I think we vastly exaggerate.”

The suggestion that the threats from China and Russia were being exaggerated came at a time when Russia was waging war in Ukraine and China was increasing its military posturing toward Taiwan, making the comment controversial among foreign policy observers who argued the threats were serious and growing.

Biden also referenced a conversation with Chinese President Xi Jinping in a story he told the Canadian Parliament, raising his voice dramatically: “Xi Jinping asked me in the Tibetan Plateau, could I define America? And I could have said the same thing if he asked about Canada. I said, yes, one word. And I mean it, one word. Possibilities. Nothing is beyond our capacity.”

Border and Immigration Claims

Biden addressed immigration during the visit, claiming success at the U.S. southern border: “Since we created Dedicated Pathways in the United States, the number of migrants arriving in our southern border has dropped precipitously.”

The claim was made despite approximately 6.1 million border crossings having occurred since Biden took office, a figure that critics pointed to as evidence that the administration’s border policies had failed. The administration’s “Dedicated Pathways” program allowed migrants from certain countries to apply for legal entry, but critics argued it simply shifted illegal crossings into a legalized channel rather than reducing overall migration.

Kamala Harris on Africa Trip Preparation

The video also captured Vice President Kamala Harris describing her preparations for an upcoming trip to Africa. Harris explained her approach: “As I usually do, it’s a combination of bringing in experts and reading a lot of briefing documents and thinking about the future and what that will look like in terms of the relationship between the United States and the continent of Africa. And I am very optimistic about what the partnership will produce.”

The remarks drew attention for their general nature, as Harris described her preparation methodology in broad terms rather than citing specific policy objectives or outcomes she hoped to achieve during the trip.

Biden Acknowledges He Is Talking Too Long

In a lighter moment during the Canada visit, Biden acknowledged that his remarks had gone on longer than planned: “Sorry, and they’re telling me I’m talking too long because we got to go to dinner.”

Biden also made claims about his economic record during the trip, stating: “Look, I think we’ve done a pretty damn good job.” The remark came in the wake of the second and third largest bank collapses in U.S. history, those of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank, which had occurred just weeks earlier in March 2023.

Electric Vehicles and Climate Provisions

Biden used the parliamentary address to highlight provisions of the Inflation Reduction Act that benefited Canada. He told the Parliament: “We’re going to build 5,500 electric charging stations. Guess who builds them?” He also noted that the legislation “explicitly, explicitly includes tax credits for electric vehicles assembled in Canada.”

The EV provisions had been a point of friction between the two countries, as Canada had initially expressed concern that U.S. clean energy subsidies would disadvantage Canadian manufacturers. Biden’s emphasis on the Canadian inclusion appeared designed to smooth over those tensions.

Biden opened his parliamentary address with a greeting in French: “Good afternoon. Bonjour, Canada.” Observers noted that Biden had greeted the Canadian Parliament in French but had still not visited East Palestine, Ohio, which had suffered a major train derailment and chemical spill the previous month.

Additional Context

The March 2023 Canada trip was part of Biden’s effort to shore up alliances with key partners. However, the visit was overshadowed by the series of verbal missteps, particularly the China-for-Canada substitution, which became one of the most replayed clips from the trip. Biden’s reliance on a large teleprompter for his parliamentary address and his use of pre-approved reporter lists for the press conference reinforced concerns about his ability to operate extemporaneously during diplomatic engagements.

Key Takeaways

• Biden accidentally said “I applaud China for stepping out” before correcting to Canada during his address to the Canadian Parliament, drawing laughter from the assembled lawmakers.
• Biden struggled to read the Canadian poem “In Flanders Fields” from his teleprompter, mispronouncing the poet’s name as “McCree” instead of McCrae.
• During the bilateral meeting, Biden appeared distracted and scrambled for his pre-approved notes while Trudeau was delivering his welcome remarks.
• Biden claimed the U.S. “vastly exaggerate” the threats from China and Russia, a comment that drew criticism given the ongoing war in Ukraine and rising tensions with Beijing.
• Vice President Harris described her preparation for an Africa trip as “reading a lot of briefing documents and thinking about the future,” drawing attention for the generality of her response.