Friday February 9, 2024
Some Egyptians have been amused by the mix-up as President al-Sisi is nicknamed 'The Mexican' in Egypt
US President Joe Biden has humoured some Egyptians after he mistakenly referred to Egypt's President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi as "the president of Mexico".
"As you know, initially the president of Mexico, Sisi, did not want to open up the gate to allow humanitarian material to get in [Gaza]," President Biden said during a press conference late on Thursday, while commenting on the ongoing war between Israel and Gaza.
Mexico's president is called Andrés Manuel López Obrador.
Some amused Egyptians have taken to social media to point out that the mix-up is humorous as Egyptians have long nicknamed President al-Sisi "El Meksiki", which translates to "The Mexican" to avoid censorship.
"You can’t criticise the president freely so Egyptians started calling him 'El Meksiki' ('the Mexican' in Arabic) because it sounds like 'al-Sisi' so they can avoid censorship and criticise him freely," one user shared on X (formerly Twitter).
"It's more hilarious when you all know that actually in Egypt we call him [Mr al-Sisi] 'El Meksiki' the Mexican rather than 'al-Sisi' to not be noticed by the Egyptian government," another Egyptian posted.
In the US, the mix-up has sparked concerns about President Biden's health and cognitive abilities, but the leader has defended his mental fitness for the presidency.