Joe Biden Refers to Donald Trump as ‘the President’

President Joe Biden signs a series of executive orders on health care, in the Oval Office of the White House, Thursday, Jan. 28, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
AP Photo/Evan Vucci
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President Joe Biden twice referred to former President Donald Trump as “the president” as he signed executive orders on health care Thursday.

“The second order I’m going to be signing also changes what the president has done,” Biden said, before correcting himself. “The president, the president … the former president has done and a memorandum reverse of my predecessor’s attack on women’s health access.”

Biden said his executive orders will “undo the damage Trump has done” on programs such as Obamacare and Medicare.

“There’s nothing new that we’re doing here other than restoring the Affordable Care Act and restoring Medicaid the way it was before Trump became president.”

Biden spoke for only a few minutes in the Oval Office, without his mask, coughing and clearing his throat throughout.

“Again, I’m not initiating any new law, any new aspect of the law,” he said. “This is going back to what the situation was prior to the president’s executive orders.”