When the White House Deleted Biden’s Post That Confused and Wrongly Thanked the Vietnamese President

The official White House account on X (formerly Twitter) once deleted a post that mistakenly thanked Vietnamese National Assembly Chairman Vo Van Thuong for his visit to the Asian nation, initially referring to him as "Vietnamese President." This error in addressing the Vietnamese official prompted the removal of the post to ensure accuracy and uphold diplomatic etiquette.

"President Vo Van Thuong, thank you for such a productive meeting, this partnership is about unleashing our peoples’ potential and, with it, a range of incredible possibilities," read the post by the president, who is 80 years old, on X, the social media platform that was formerly known as Twitter.

However, the picture included in the post did not depict the president meeting with Thuong; instead, it showed Biden welcoming Vietnam's National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue. Both individuals wear glasses and have black hair parted in the same direction.

The tweet, which was posted from President Biden's official @POTUS account, was deleted afterward and has not been reissued as of late Monday night. However, before its removal, some online users criticized him for the naming error. “YIKES,” After noticing the mistake, the writer John Hasson commented in a tweet. National Review contributor Pradheep Shanker sarcastically observed in a tweet, "The smartest people in the room."

During his visit to the Socialist Republic, Biden held meetings with both politicians in Hanoi on Monday. His encounter and luncheon with Thuong occurred at the presidential palace, where they discussed topics such as cooperation, business, economic connections, and Vietnam's aspirations to achieve upper-income status, as reported by a White House pool report. The President's trip to Vietnam occurred over the weekend, during which he engaged with the country's top leaders. Following the conclusion of the 2023 Group of 20 summit, Biden held a press conference in Vietnam on Sunday.

While in the Vietnamese capital of Hanoi, he responded to a question about China's relationship with the United States and humorously stated that he needed to retire for the night due to fatigue. This statement came after spending two days at the G20 summit in New Delhi, India, reported Fox Digital. "But I tell you what, I don't know about you, but I'm going to go to bed," Biden told a group of reporters. Following his statement, a reporter asked a question regarding Biden's encounter with Chinese Premier Li Qiang. The President had met Li during the G20 summit that took place over the weekend.

The recent social media mistake wasn't the first instance where White House staff had to swiftly remove incorrect or misguided tweets. Just last month, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre faced ridicule after sharing a tweet that implied she had run for the presidency of the United States, as per the reports given in The New York Post. "Investing in America means investing in ALL of America, When I ran for President, I made a promise that I would leave no part of the country behind," read Jean-Pierre’s now-deleted post on X.

Editor's note: This article was originally published on September 15, 2023. It has since been updated.