President Joe Biden has drawn lots of ridicule after he appeared to freeze during the White House Juneteenth concert celebrations. He also fumbled embarrassingly during his speech at the event, which took place on Monday, June 10, 2024.
The incident has revived concerns about his poor health and fitness for reelection in November.
The “Lost” President
While festivities at the White House Juneteenth concert reached a climax, something odd occurred. Unexpectedly, President Biden, flanked on his right by a dancing Kamala Harris and Second Gentleman, Doug Emhoff, stood transfixed on the spot, staring blankly at the stage.
Several clips showed that the episode lasted about 50 seconds—way too long for the President’s image makers to dismiss.
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George Floyd’s Brother Tried to Help
After more than 20 seconds of the President’s “trance,” some respite came from George Floyd’s brother, Philonise Floyd. Floyd, who was standing just next to the President. Floyd noticed Biden’s predicament and quickly came to his rescue by wrapping his arm across his shoulder.
In a show of support, Floyd also offered the President his hand for a fist bump. Momentarily regaining consciousness, Biden responded by bumping his fist against Floyd’s.
A Cause for Concern
The President’s unexpected freeze happened just before he was to deliver his speech. The incident left many attendees puzzled and concerned for the rest of the event. Also, the episode would have caused quite some panic in his camp as the campaign season approaches its most crucial stages.
Truly, Biden’s cognitive decline has been a concern for many of his supporters and the country at large. Many wonder if the President is fit for a second stint at the Oval Office.
Biden Struggled With His Speech
After the musical session, it was time for the President to address the crowd. Not too long into his speech, Biden began to utter incoherent statements that further raised the tension on the White House grounds.
His speech was slurred on several occasions. At one point, the President uttered something like, “She knows loss… she knows… (incoherent speech) our freedom can never be secured.”
The Videos Soon Went Viral
After the event, videos of the incident began to surface online. In addition to media organizations, influential social media accounts spread the news, drawing millions of views to their posts.
Popular X account, “Daily Loud,” posted a 27-second clip of the incident with the caption, “President Joe Biden appears to freeze at Juneteenth Event.” The post had amassed over 360,000 views in less than 8 hours.
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A Wave of Online Mockery and Criticism
Expectedly, videos of the President’s freeze and his speech attracted some serious criticism and mockery on the internet, particularly on Facebook and X.
Even the White House’s official X account received its share after it posted photos of the ceremony. Under the post, which excluded Biden’s embarrassing incident, a comment read, “Seems like Space Cowboy POTUS was fully present for the entire event.”
“NO ONE’S HOME”
Unsurprisingly, Fox News’ X account also posted the video with a deriding caption that began with “NO ONE’S HOME.” One comment under the post read, “He clearly lost Wi-Fi.”
Another comment fleshed out the caption, stating, “The light’s on, but nobody is home,” while another read, “My router does the same thing when I need to reset my internet.”
More Mockery for the President
Americans who were embarrassed by Biden’s behavior continued to drop mocking remarks. One X user commented, “He [Biden] would get the first prize at the statue contest.
Another user commented, “When does he not freeze?” A more serious comment read, “They have to set an age restriction for our Presidents. Can’t tell if he’s actually freezing or looking at something.”
Other Online Users Criticized the Timing of the Celebrations
Other internet users decided to focus on another aspect of the occasion: timing.
One user made an X post about the issue, raising a crucial point. “Juneteenth is over a week away. Why all the activities now? Well, it’s an election year, and Biden is losing Black support. So, the Democrats do what they always do. RACE BAIT TIME.”
The President Still Passed His Message Across
Despite the shaky moments in his speech, Biden still managed to drive home his message. His speech contained a rallying cry to everyone in the fight for racial justice and equality.
“Let’s keep marching. Let’s keep the faith. And let us remember who we are,” he charged. “We’re the United States of America – and there is nothing – nothing beyond our capacity if we do it together,” he added.
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Biden Recalled His Achievements for the Black Community
Predictably, the President didn’t fail to mention some of the things he had done for the black community. “You know, I was proud to have made Juneteenth a federal holiday,” the President boasted.
In addition, he reminded the attendees of his efforts to retain books about black history in schools and his campaign for voting rights—a move that benefitted many black people.
An Appeal to Black Voters
Many political analysts believe that the Juneteenth White House concert is one the most crucial events for the President. Recently, he has lost the confidence of a significant number of black voters. Consequently, this has shaken his confidence as the elections approach this November.
Unfortunately, his cognitive challenge has once again thrown a spanner in the works and challenged whatever progress he had aimed for the event to produce.
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