U.S. President Joe Biden praised Czechoslovakia, a country that split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia at the end of 1992, for its "support for Ukraine against Russia." While hosting Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala in the Oval Office on Monday, the 81-year-old Biden mistakenly referred to the country as Czechoslovakia, quickly correcting himself to say "the Czech Republic," as Prague has requested the country be referred to as "Czech" since its modern establishment. Biden stated, "I can't tell you how much we appreciate your candor and the support of the people of Czechoslovakia, the Czech Republic, in defending the people of Ukraine."
The separation of the Czech Republic and Slovakia ended 75 years of Czechoslovakia as a unified nation, a period that included six years of Nazi occupation during World War II and over four decades of communist rule as part of the Soviet Union. At the time of the split, François Mitterrand was the President of France, and Helmut Kohl was the Chancellor of Germany. Biden claimed in February that he had spoken with them recently, raising concerns about his mental fitness. Mitterrand left office in 1995 and died the following year, while Kohl remained in office until 1998 and passed away in 2017, making it impossible for Biden to have discussed the Capitol riots of January 6, 2021, with them.
Biden's recent blunders also included telling the public in the Rose Garden last week that voters should choose him for a second four-year term because he lives in "the 20th century." Such mistakes come at a time when polls consistently show widespread concern about Biden's mental fitness. A poll published by The New York Times last month revealed that 73% of registered voters believe Biden is too old to be president, while only 42% felt the same about former President Donald Trump, 77, who is seeking a second term in November. Biden is already the oldest president in U.S. history and will be 86 if he completes a full second term in 2029.
