Footage from 2021 was shared to social media showing President Joe Biden appearing to wander off as his wife, First Lady Jill Biden, was giving a speech at Brookland Middle School in Washington, D.C. As the incident occurred early in Biden’s term, it sparked concerns about Biden’s cognitive health that would continue to grow throughout his presidency.
Dr. Jill began her remarks by thanking local leaders. “So Principal Richardson, you know, thank you for welcoming us here today, and Secretary Cardona and Mayor Bowser and Chancellor Fareby,” the first lady said. “Thank you for joining us as well, and for families across the country,” she continued, as President Biden’s attention appeared to be directed elsewhere.
Biden proceeded to turn around and walk off camera, where it is unclear as to what motivated him to remove himself from the scene. The first lady continued, “You know the school year. Gosh, it always brings this sort of mix of emotions for all of us. You know all at once we feel the anticipation of new classmates and teachers, you know, the relief of not having to hear. I’m bored again and again.” Meanwhile, the president walked back over to his wife’s side as the speech continued.
Where it is undetermined as to what Biden was doing, whether speaking to an aid or just confused, users on social media expressed concern for the president. The Post Millenial shared the clip on X, writing, “A confused-looking Joe Biden wanders off during his wife’s speech.” Posting a rather prescient comment, one person wrote, “This is completely planned… like what less than year they will pull him and replace him with Harris. Whole plan was to get Harrisnin there; they just knew she couldn’t beat Trump. This a total plan!!”
While X user’s timeline was incorrect, they were proven correct when President Biden announced in July that he would be withdrawing himself from the 2024 presidential race after intra-party concerns with his viability as a candidate, particularly after his poor performance against Donald Trump in the June debate. Biden swiftly endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris to lead the Democratic ticket in his place.
The American Tribune initially reported on the news that Biden was dropping out of the race, shortly after he publicly announced his decision. Biden posted on X, “My fellow Democrats, I have decided not to accept the nomination and to focus all my energies on my duties as President for the remainder of my term. My very first decision as the party nominee in 2020 was to pick Kamala Harris as my Vice President. And it’s been the best decision I’ve made. Today I want to offer my full support and endorsement for Kamala to be the nominee of our party this year. Democrats — it’s time to come together and beat Trump. Let’s do this.”
He added, “For now, let me express my deepest gratitude to all those who have worked so hard to see me reelected. I want to thank Vice President Kamala Harris for being an extraordinary partner in all this work. And let me express my heartfelt appreciation to the American people for the faith and trust you have placed in me. I believe today what I always have: that there is nothing America can’t do – when we do it together. We just have to remember we are the United States of America.”
Watch Biden below: