President Joe Biden is making headlines after he appeared to freeze and could not exit the stage following a fundraising event with former President Obama.
On the 16th, a video of Biden and Obama from the LA event gained traction on X and other social media platforms. He froze up onstage as he exited the event. Biden stood still, staring aimlessly at the audience for about 10 seconds.
Obama, standing next to Biden, signaled for him to leave. He placed his right hand on Biden’s left shoulder as they walked out together. The scene has sparked criticism, with some saying the President “froze on stage again.”
The U.S. Embassy vehemently denied the controversy to the New York Post, calling it “fake news. “They made it problematic for the President to wait a few seconds for the applauding audience. Their ethical standards need to wake up.” Senior Advisor to President Barack Obama from 2009-2017, Eric Schultz, also stated, “This did not happen.”
The White House claims that right-wing media edited the video, but similar instances of the 82-year-old President acting unnatural have been more frequent this year.
Similarly, during the G7 summit in Puglia, southern Italy, the leaders watched a soldier demonstrate skydiving. However, Biden appeared to stray in the wrong direction. Guided by Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, Biden returned to his seat. Despite Biden’s team arguing that the video had been deliberately edited, doubts remain.