Over the weekend, Joe Biden traveled to Cambodia where he attended the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit. In Biden’s remarks at the summit, he mistakenly referred to his host as the Prime Minister of “Colombia” instead of Cambodia. This is not the first time he has publically bungled the country’s name, either.

Biden wasted no time in embarrassing the United States, starting off the summit by saying,

“I want to thank the prime minister for Colombia’s leadership as ASEAN chair.”

Biden then continued speaking, not correcting his blunder or recognizing Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen.

As if this display of Biden’s mental aptitude wasn’t enough, when departing the White House on Thursday, he didn’t seem to be quite sure where he was heading.

“Anyway, you guys, I’m heading down to – first of all, going to Cairo for the – for the environmental effort, then heading over to Colombia and then – I mean, Cambodia,” said Biden.

Joe Biden with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen

The primary focus of Biden’s remarks at the summit highlighted the United States’ commitment to free, fair, and ethical trade in the Indo-Pacific. He also addressed the Russian-Ukrainian war, thanking the Cambodian prime minister for his “clear condemnation” of Russia’s invasion.

At the summit, Biden said, “Together we will tackle the biggest issues of our time, from climate to health security, defend against the significant threats to rule-based order and to threats to the rule of law.”

“We’ll build an Indo-Pacific that is free and open, stable and prosperous, resilient and secure.”

“We will build a better future – a better future we all say we want to see, we’re going to see for all of the 1 billion people in our countries. I’ll also discuss Russia’s brutal war against Ukraine and our effort to address the war’s global impacts, including in Southeast Asia,” Biden said.

On Sunday, Biden met with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, with whom he discussed the threat posed by North Korea, which has fired dozens of missiles in recent weeks.

After this meeting, Biden declared a three-way partnership and the three leaders vowed to take a unified and coordinated response to North Korea’s threats of nuclear and ballistic missile weapons.

Joe Biden meeting with Japan and South Korea leaders

On Sunday, U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan spoke to reporters about what Biden would like to accomplish at his meetings with Japan and South Korea. Sullivan said, “What we would really like to see is enhanced trilateral security cooperation where the three countries are all coming together. That’s acutely true with respect to the DPRK because of the common threat and challenge we all face, but it’s also true, more broadly, about our capacity to work together to enhance overall peace and stability.”

Join The Conversation. Leave a Comment.


We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. If a comment is spam, instead of replying to it please click the ∨ icon below and to the right of that comment. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.