Joe, what is going on?

Joe Biden is not having a good time on the world stage right now with his re-election campaign.

First there was his stumbling debate performance against Donald Trump, his 78-year-old Republican rival. 

Now this week, the pressure was on Biden to shore up support in his own Democratic party, as well as reinvigorate the American public's trust in him as a leader.

He held his first solo news conference in almost eight months, and also had a speech at the NATO summit in Washington on the same day. But on both occasions, there were major gaffes that have since gone viral online. 

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Joe Biden's gaffe at NATO summit.

At the NATO summit in Washington on Friday, Biden mistakenly referred to Ukrainian President Voldymyr Zelensky as "President Putin".

"And now I want to hand it over to the president of Ukraine, who has as much courage as he has determination, ladies and gentlemen, President Putin," Biden said, drawing gasps from those in the room.

"Going to beat President Putin, President Zelensky. I am so focused on beating Putin," Biden added while correcting himself.

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Joe Biden's press conference train wreck.

The gaffe at the NATO summit came shortly before a highly anticipated news conference where Biden hoped to ease fellow Democrats' fears that he no longer has the ability to beat Trump in the November election, or to lead the country for another four-year term.

During his solo news conference, Biden then mixed up the names of Vice President Kamala Harris and his Republican rival Donald Trump.

"Look, I wouldn't have picked Vice President Trump to be vice president if she was not qualified to be president. So start there," Biden said as he responded to a question about his confidence in Harris.

The US President coughed frequently and occasionally garbled his responses at the outset of the news conference, and towards the end his answers frequently trailed off before he had completed his thoughts. 

At the same time, he delivered detailed responses on issues such as the Israel-Gaza conflict and the need for western countries to produce more military weaponry to counter Russia and China.

Important context is that Biden overcame a childhood stutter and has frequently mangled names and misspoken throughout his political career.

World reacts to Joe Biden's press conference.

Look... it hasn't been great.

Biden has since faced more calls from fellow Democrats to abandon his re-election bid.

At least 17 congressional Democrats have called for him to drop out and allow the party to pick another standard-bearer, including some who announced their positions after the news conference.

Democrats are worried Biden's low public approval ratings and growing concerns that he is too old for the job could cause them to lose seats in the House and Senate, leaving them with no grip on power in Washington should Trump win the White House.

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Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese even reacted to the gaffes from Biden, saying calling Ukraine's leader Volodymyr Zelensky "president Putin" is "unfortunate".

"Everyone from time to time, I think has made a slip, it clearly was on his mind who President Zelensky is fighting," Albanese told a Brisbane radio station. "But it certainly is unfortunate."

In response to Biden's slip-of-the-tongue Putin mistake, Russia's Foreign Ministry spokeswoman mocked the US President. She joked that Biden has shown he is "a pro-Russian candidate being controlled by the Kremlin". 

Video of the gaffe featured prominently on news bulletins in Russia, where state TV commentators have long depicted Biden, 81, as a senile old man who risks stumbling into World War Three, unlike Putin, 71, whom they portray as a strategic genius.

George Clooney's big thoughts on Joe Biden.

Earlier this week, Hollywood star George Clooney provided his two cents on the topic.

In an opinion piece published in the New York Times, George Clooney — who is a top Democrat fundraiser — withdrew his support for Biden.

In his opinion piece, Clooney wrote: "It's devastating to say it, but the Joe Biden I was with three weeks ago at the fundraiser was not the Joe 'big f**king deal' Biden of 2010. He wasn't even the Joe Biden of 2020. He was the same man we all witnessed at the debate."

"We are not going to win in November with this president. On top of that, we won't win the House, and we're going to lose the Senate."

Often described as an "ATM for Democrats," Hollywood has traditionally been a significant source of donations for the party. 

Clooney's event last month, hosted with actor Julia Roberts, raised more than $A44 million in what the Biden campaign said was the largest Democratic fundraiser in history.

What happens to Joe Biden now?

Biden has made clear that he did not plan to step aside, at least for now.

In the solo press conference, Biden touted his decades of experience on the world stage, arguing that he is uniquely qualified to defeat Trump.

"The only thing age does is creates a little bit of wisdom if you pay attention," said Biden.

He has said his health is in good shape and that he would take another neurological exam to determine his mental acuity — if his doctors recommended it.

With AAP.

Feature Image: AAP.