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Glasgow Live
Glasgow Live
National
Gary Armstrong

Joe Biden mispronounces Glasgow as 'Glass Cow' in opening COP26 speech

Glaswegians have been left tearing their hair out after Joe Biden mispronounced our city's name during the COP26 summit.

The US president made his opening speech at the climate change conference after arriving in Glasgow this morning (Monday).

However, having earlier been recorded on video appearing to fall asleep during the Barbados Prime Minister's speech, Biden has since been criticised for referring to our city as 'Glass Cow'.

Footage shows the President saying: "If we commit to doing our part of each of our nations with determination and with ambition, that's what COP26 is all about.

"Glass Cow must be the kick off of a decade of ambition and innovation to prepare our shared future."

Joe Biden arrived in Glasgow for COP26 earlier today (EVAN VUCCI/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Inevitably, Glaswegians have already panned the President on social media for his mistake.

One Twitter user said: "It's not Glass Cow like Biden just said. Like watching a little boy reading his lines at his first school play."

Another added: "Will somebody please tell Biden that its pronounced Glas - Go and not Glas Cow like Moscow!"

A further comment read: "O.K. Joe Biden referred to Glasgow as 'Glass Cow' like a lot of Americans do.

"We Scots say 'Glass Go'. But if you are born and bred in the city would say 'Glesga'."

In the past 24 hours Krishnan Guru-Murthy has appealed to news services around the world to pronounce Glasgow properly as COP26 gets underway.

Channel 4 broadcaster Krishnan posted on his Twitter feed that he was unhappy with the way the Scots city was being pronounced in the run up to COP26.

On Monday afternoon, video of Biden struggling to keep his eyes open while listening to the opening COP26 speeches was circulated online.

Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley was mid speech, talking about the Caribbean island's role in tackling climate change, with the US President seemingly taking a snooze.

The moment was reported by Washington Post journalist Zach Pursur Brown who recorded Biden 'falling asleep'.

You can watch Biden's attempt at pronouncing Glasgow in the video above.

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