US President Joe Biden appeared to freeze at a campaign fundraiser in Los Angeles on Saturday and had to be guided off stage by Barack Obama.
President Biden and former President Obama stood for applause following a 45-minute interview with Jimmy Kimmel at the Peacock Theatre. Joe Biden momentarily fixated on the crowd for about 10 seconds until Mr Obama took his arm and led him offstage.
That's a wrap on record-setting Democratic fundraiser for Joe Biden's reelection campaign (netting $28M). Former President Barack Obama and President Joe Biden offer final waves to Peacock Theater crowd as Obama then grabs Biden's hand to lead him offstage following 40-minute… pic.twitter.com/xbE2jf3jdz
— Chris Gardner (@chrissgardner) June 16, 2024
“This isn't normal,” a user wrote under the post on X (formerly Twitter).
This isn't normal pic.twitter.com/X6bX6RVBrm
— Alex Bruesewitz ???????? (@alexbruesewitz) June 16, 2024
Another called the video “hard to watch.” He wrote, “Joe [Biden] literally froze on stage for 10 seconds before Obama came to his rescue. You tell me who the de facto POTUS is.”
This video is hard to watch
Joe literally froze on stage for 10 seconds before Obama came to his rescue
You tell me who the de facto POTUS is— Andrew Fisher (@acpandy) June 16, 2024
The incident adds to a series of moments caught on camera where President Biden appeared disoriented or confused about his surroundings. At the G7 summit in Italy recently, he seemed to wander off during a parachute exhibition, resulting in the Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni to guide him back for a group photo with other world leaders.
The ITALIAN PRIME MINISTER had to step in and stop Joe Biden from wandering off today
This guy is a TOTAL EMBARRASSMENT on the world stage
He’s totally gone pic.twitter.com/BzAIVw1J1i— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) June 13, 2024
Before that, during a Juneteenth concert at the White House, Mr Biden appeared momentarily disoriented, standing straight and staring into the distance while others danced and sang.
Pay close attention to Joe Biden's hands in this video! pic.twitter.com/C5r0ceTNnX
— Matt Wallace (@MattWallace888) June 12, 2024
Last week, US First Lady, Dr Jill Biden, defended President Joe Biden’s age during a campaign speech in Green Bay, Wisconsin. She argued that age should not be a deciding factor in the election, saying her husband and his opponent Donald trump were “essentially the same age.” Jill Biden praised her husband as a “healthy and wise 81-year-old”, claiming that the elections were about the “character of the person leading our country” and not about age.