US President Joe Biden was caught up in an awkward position as he tried to sit on a chair behind him on stage during the commemoration of the 80th anniversary of D-Day in France, a video from the event showed. The video, now going viral on social media, shows Biden, who appeared confused, trying to sit down while First Lady Jill Biden and other dignitaries — French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte Macron — were standing beside him.
As the US president started squatting down, according to the video, Jill Biden covered her mouth and appeared to murmur something to him. The video was shared online while users claimed the US First Lady was instructing him to not sit down.
Another video of the event shows Jill Biden escorting the US President away from the stage, even as Macron stayed behind to greet the veterans.
The event was to commemorate the veterans of D-Day, which refers to the Normandy invasion that took place on June 6, 1944, during World War II.
The “awkward” video clip, first shared by the Republican National Committee Research, has refuelled the discussion over the US president’s health.
Businessman and former president Donald Trump’s son, Donald Trump Jr., wrote on X, “Is there ever a time when Americans realise just how much of an embarrassment this is on a world stage? Does this kind of incompetence and weakness encourage our enemies to act the way they’ve been acting? Of course it does!”
Several other netizens also reacted in a similar vein.
“Totally normal behaviour from a President. What exactly is he trying to do here? Shortly after this he got whisked off the stage by Jill while President Macron from France went to shake the hands of all the WWII Veterans in attendance,”another X user, Robby Starbuck, wrote.
However, some others on the internet claimed that the video was edited and shared a longer clip, which purportedly shows others also sitting down on chairs placed on the stage.
Notably, this is not the first time the US president appeared confused in a public setting. In November last year, he looked confused while sharing a stage with the leaders of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) for a group photo in California. He could be seen rubbing his nose and looking around muddled before taking his spot for the picture. This had also stirred a debate over his health.