Confused Biden walks behind podium and stares at floor as Jordanian king speaks

13 February 2024 , 09:20

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President Biden appeared to be confused during a speech by the King of Jordan (Image: Getty Images)

President Joe Biden dithered around behind the King of Jordan during a speech at the White House, adding to the furore surrounding his mental health.

The president was seen shuffling around seemingly unsure of where he was meant to be standing while King Abdullah II of Jordan prepared to deliver his speech, apparently also unsettling his guest, who was left trying to see where his host had decided to stand.

While the president moved behind the king and the podium, he was seemingly unable to find what was believed to be a marker showing him the proper place to stand, before choosing what was initially his first choice, to Abdullah’s left side and in front of the Jordanian flag.

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The president seemed to be distracted during the meeting with the king (Getty Images)

According to the New York Post, the confused-looking president, 81, said: "Your majesty, over to you," before throwing the king out of his stride, with the Jordanian ruler at one point looking over his left shoulder expecting to see Biden, who then quipped: "I switched sides on you."

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Biden’s latest bout of public confusion may well be a blessing in disguise as it comes days after special counsel Robert Hur opted against recommending criminal charges against the president related to his handling of classified White House documents, in part because a jury may view Biden as an "elderly man with a poor memory". Biden couldn’t recall the years he served as Barack Obama’s vice-president and when his late son Beau Biden died, according to Hur’s report.

The King of Jordan is visiting the Nation's capital as part of his yearly visit (Getty Images)

RNC Research, an X (formerly Twitter) account managed by the Republican National Committee, were quick to pan the gaffe, captioning the video, "BIDEN: What am I doing? Where am I going?" And Andrew Giuliani, a former Trump official and the son of the former NYC mayor, wrote: "The world is laughing at US".

And radio host and political strategist Melik Abdul was also scathing, saying: "Don’t judge his mental acuity. Judge him by his ability to get things done, like stand where the tape is and do so on the appropriate side of your invited guest." The criticism wasn't limited to political pundits either, with Steve Flesch, a golfer on the PGA Champions Tour, having a go at the Democrats for "rolling him out there", and taking the risk that the public "will believe he’s fine". He said: "Shame on them. This is elder abuse."

Biden couldn’t recall the years he served as Barack Obama’s vice-president (Getty Images)

However, Democrat supporters flocked to the elderly president's defence with X user Josh Fields claiming: "Biden’s age is concerning, but he’s very obviously looking for the floor marker for the camera shot. They’ll usually place a piece of tape on the ground. They do this in movies, plays, TV, pressers, etc. I’ve seen other actual concerning things, this isn’t one of them."

Despite the administration's attempts to shield the president polling over the past year has consistently shown many voters worry about Biden having the cognitive ability to hold the highest office in the land, with 86 percent of Americans thinking he is "too old", with 62 percent making the same assessment about former President Donald Trump, 77.

Paul Donald