Thursday 12 / December / 2024
Washington: White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, on Thursday (local time) accidentally reffered President Joe Biden as "President Obama."
While addressing a presser, Pierre's slip-of-the-tongue moment was captured on live TV where she accidentally called the current President "President Obama." "So today, as you all saw just an hour or so ago, President Obama announced that--Pardon me, President Biden!" Jean-Pierre said as reporters shouted in surprise.
"Whoa! Ahem, that is news. I know, we're going back not forwards. We've gotta go forwards," she said.
She then announced "President Biden's" nominee Ajay Banga to lead the World Bank. White House Press Secretary said, "The US nominated Ajay Banga to be president of the World Bank. President Biden himself said he is uniquely equipped to lead the world bank, he is a renowned business executive that has managed companies bringing jobs and investment to developing economies.
"He (Ajay Banga) has a proven track record of creating public-private partnerships. Raised in India he has a unique perspective on opportunities and challenges facing developing countries & how World Bank can deliver on its agenda for prosperity and reduce poverty," she added.
Earlier, on Thursday, US President Joe Biden nominated former Mastercard CEO Ajay Banga to lead the World Bank.
"Ajay is uniquely equipped to lead the World Bank at this critical moment in history. He has spent more than three decades building and managing successful, global companies that create jobs and bring investment to developing economies, and guiding organizations through periods of fundamental change. He has a proven track record managing people and systems and partnering with global leaders around the world to deliver results," read Biden's statement.
Banga, a business leader with extensive experience leading successful organizations in developing countries and forging public-private partnerships to address financial inclusion and climate change, is to be President of the World Bank.
"He also has critical experience mobilizing public-private resources to tackle the most urgent challenges of our time, including climate change. Raised in India, Ajay has a unique perspective on the opportunities and challenges facing developing countries and how the World Bank can deliver on its ambitious agenda to reduce poverty and expand prosperity," read the statement.
The decision comes after World Bank's President David Malpass earlier said that he will step down almost a year early from his position.
Malpass' exit comes months after calls grew for him to step down after he declined to acknowledge the scientific consensus that fossil fuels were warming the planet.
