Joe Biden appeared completely confused at the end of his first campaign speech of 2024 on Friday evening.
The president, 81, had just finished his speech at Valley Forge in Pennsylvania, where George Washington organized an army to fight the British in 1777.
Biden had just finished his remarks when he turned to leave the stage and his wife, first lady Jill Biden, rushed over to take his hand.
As she approached her husband, she appeared to be whispering something in his ear, but she cleverly managed to avoid the view of television cameras that captured the awkward moment.
Dr. Jill then tried to lead her husband off the stage, but her husband suddenly turned to the crowd and began speaking again, talking over the exit music already playing over the speakers.
Biden ended his speech on Friday evening, standing on stage in an apparent daze
Biden remained standing on stage as Jill Biden rushed to escort him from the stage
Joe Biden, 81, appeared confused at the end of his first campaign speech of 2024 on Friday evening at Valley Forge in Pennsylvania, where his wife rushed to usher him from the stage.
After finishing his speech, Biden turned to leave the stage but was intercepted by his wife, first lady Jill Biden, who rushed over and whispered in his ear.
Joe Biden seemed lost for a moment when wife Jill tried to go one way while her husband looked the other way
Jill stood alone on stage while the president looked for a way out on his own
Jill Biden tried to pull her husband off stage, but Biden continued to speak despite music playing
Finally, the couple walked off stage, with Jill leading her husband by the hand
“I understand power!” Biden said. “Thank you all so much…” he said before the music drowned him out.
It was Biden's first public event since his vacation in the Caribbean.
Biden, the oldest president in U.S. history when he took office in 2021, has faced doubts from experts and pollsters about whether he is still fit to lead.
The Democrat's age has become an issue as he seeks re-election in November, with his administration employing a “bubble wrap” strategy to avoid a public fall.
The president has faced repeated questions about his fitness for office, with pollsters and experts saying it is a huge problem with less than 11 months to go until the 2024 election.
Some of his staff still believe he needs protection, and a new strategy is being developed to prevent him from falling or getting lost on stage, as he has done several times before.
President Joe Biden is helped to his feet after a fall during the graduation ceremony at the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado in June. He fell while handing out diplomas to cadets
The commander-in-chief stumbled, hit the ground and sent cadets and Secret Service rushing to grab his arms as he handed out diplomas in Colorado
“He is doing well,” White House communications director Ben LaBolt tweeted afterward. “There was a sandbag (seen left) on the stage as he shook hands.”
Some described it as putting the president in bubble wrap until November 2024 to ensure he doesn't trip or fall again in public, as he did at the commencement of the Air Force Academy in June.
But other current and former administration officials strongly disagree, calling on him to hit the campaign trail to “show his strength” and “boast about his age instead of ignoring it.”
Veteran Democrat strategist Simon Rosenberg is in the latter camp, saying Biden needs to respect his age and push harder.
“He's successful because of his age, not despite it,” Rosenberg said.
“We're all going to have to advocate for this because it's true. We cannot run away from the age problem.
“It will be an important part of the conversation, but we would be making a political mistake if we don't challenge it more aggressively.”
But John B. Judis, a longtime political strategist and author, suggested that Biden's age makes him look less presidential.
In June 2022, Biden fell off his bicycle during a ride near his beach house in Delaware and then jumped around trying to prove he was not injured in the accident.
After about 10 seconds on the concrete, Biden was able to hoist himself up with the help of his security staff, drawing applause from the spectators
In March 2021, he was caught stumbling aboard Air Force One
“He doesn't look or speak the part,” Judis said. “He is not an impressive or charming presence on the stage of a presidential or presidential election.”
Judis praised many of Biden's legislative achievements, including infrastructure and the fight against climate change, but said his “public performance” was poor.
“I think many voters, especially young people, who are not at all put off by his political positions or achievements, are put off by his utter failure as a royal personality,” Judis said.
'And I don't know how that can be solved. Not by cycling. Biden's best hope in that regard is voters' perception that Trump is a bad or even evil father who wants to destroy the family.”
The consternation over Biden's age comes because the polls have never been worse for the president.
An angry Joe Biden called Donald Trump “sick” and a “loser” in his first campaign speech of 2024, saying “we almost lost America” on January 6
The president, 81, launched an angry attack on his predecessor and potential rival in the 2024 general election at Valley Forge in Pennsylvania, where George Washington organized an army to fight the British in 1777.
In a head-to-head confrontation, Biden has seen a two-point lead turn into a three-point deficit
During his speech, Biden said that “democracy is at stake” as states across the country launch efforts to impeach Trump.
An angry Biden called Donald Trump “sick” and a “loser” on January 6, saying “we almost lost America.”
The president launched an angry attack on his predecessor and likely rival in the 2024 general election.
Biden condemned the Republican front-runner for his “lies” and for making his White House campaign about “himself” in remarks marking the third anniversary of the Capitol Riot.
He said Trump invoked Nazi Germany when he called his enemies “vermin” and compared him to a dictator who could destroy the US if re-elected in November.
