Amid rising concerns for the oldest sitting US president showing “signs of slipping,” according to a June 4 bombshell Wall Street Journal report, Joe Biden is visibly displaying mental health red flags during the G7 summit.
The ever-expanding list of embarrassing blunders committed by the president only seems to be hitting back with more and more public scares. Biden seems to have lost his way in Apulia, Italy, at these public gatherings in the presence of other high-profile leaders from all over the world.
The latest addition to these awkward misfires caught Biden seemingly falling asleep during a pivotal G7 event. During the round-table meeting, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is seen arising from his seat to wake up the 81-year-old 46th US President.
Netizens had barely moved on from the US head of state, causing a stir with other antics during the G7 visit, when yet another one of his alleged chapters of dozing off sparked the Internet’s scrutiny.
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Joe Biden’s awkward blunders at the G7 summit
Exposing himself to social media’s wrath with comments like, “The kind of videos emerging out of #G7 Summit clearly indicates that something is not right with @JoeBiden. He needs medical attention, for sure. #BidenAlzheimer,” Biden appeared to have wandered off in the presence of world leaders earlier. Social media users also quipped at how events were transpiring in Italy. “World leaders becoming babysitters is a wild development,” wrote someone on X.
While prominent leaders were consumed with the engrossing sight of a parachute display at the Italy summit, the US commander-in-chief strolled away elsewhere. Instead of mingling with his fellow world leader, a now-viral moment caught him walking away and initiating an unexpected conversation with an officer packing a bag. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni ultimately came to Biden’s rescue and redirected him to his original post among the other leaders for an awkward group photo.
That wasn’t all. The camera pictured Biden saluting Meloni earlier in the day before slowly walking away.
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Biden’s questionably ill-timed and off-putting moments at the G7 summit have only worked against him, especially amid the ongoing and swelling pool of speculations about the US president’s cognitive health.
With critics closely observing his behaviour and body language and several instances of his apparent cognitive decline, Biden has invited severe backlash during his presidential campaign. However, on the other side of the conversation, his supporters continue to back him, attempting to squash the heated narrative around him.
Leaders from France, Germany, Canada, the United Kingdom, Italy, Japan, and the United States have convened at the G7 summit to discuss critical global matters such as migration, the war in Ukraine, and artificial intelligence.
On Thursday, leaders of the major democracies also settled on a political deal, proposing a $50 billion loan to Ukraine using frozen Russian assets. Referring to the agreement as a “significant outcome,” Biden told reporters it was “another reminder to Putin that we’re not backing down. The G7 leaders also deliberated on efforts to secure a ceasefire in the Gaza war.