- The president appeared to stop moving entirely for the better part of a minute
- The moment occurred after an article called Biden’s brain power into question
President Joe Biden sparked concerns Monday night when he appeared to freeze for the better part of a minute during a lively Juneteenth celebration at the White House.
During the event ahead of the national holiday next week, the Commander-in-Chief seemed to short-circuit as the rest of the crowd, including Vice President Kamala Harris and Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff, grooved along to the lively band.
Philonise Floyd, brother of the late George Floyd, flanked Biden on his left and eventually noticed the concerning pause he was taking and wrapped his arm around him in an apparent effort to help.
Pictured: Joe Biden, Dough Ehmoff, Kamala Harris, Philonise Floyd, Keeta Floyd. Biden sparks concerns as he appears to FREEZE during Juneteenth celebration concert at the White House alongside a dancing Kamala Harris – before George Floyd’s brother wraps his arm around him
US Vice President Kamala Harris dances with US singer Kirk Franklin during a Juneteenth Concert in the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC on June 10, 2024
Last week, The Wall Street Journal published a bombshell report about Joe Biden’s cognitive decline, which has reportedly become readily apparent to dozens of high-ranking officials in recent months.
More than 45 Republican and Democratic lawmakers and staffers offered insight on the subject, citing recent mistakes by the commander-in-chief they found concerning.
While the White House maintains the 81-year-old is still a top leader, the dozens who spoke to The Wall Street Journal disagreed – describing a president who today speaks so softly that some struggle to even understand what he’s saying.
Others pointed to the commander-in-chief’s declining grasp of important policy details, and increasing reliance on notes and impromptu offerings from aides.
Several said Biden’s demeanor varies by the day – as the White House reportedly went through great pains to keep tabs on what Democrats were saying. The report, titled ‘Behind Closed Doors, Biden Shows Signs of Slipping’, published Tuesday.
‘You couldn’t be there and not feel uncomfortable,’ one anonymous source said of a meeting with Biden during critical negotiations over congressional funding for Ukraine aid back in January where the president moved so slowly, it took him roughly 10 minutes to greet the nearly two dozen top leaders summoned.
The meeting did not start until the president was finished, several who attended told the paper – before describing the ensuing discussion meant to secure more congressional funding.
The report was based on interviews with more than 45 people Washington officials secured over several months, on the heels of a series of increasingly serious slip-ups by the president, seen here delivering remarks at the White House in February
At that point, Biden, the oldest-ever US president, began reading from his notes, making broad points about the need to give money to Ukraine.
This struck several as odd, sources said – given the lawmakers there were more than familiar with the fact that funds were needed. Some said they also had trouble hearing him, as officials in Ukraine desperately beseeched the US for munitions.
Biden, moreover, deferred most of the talks to other lawmakers, several said – to the point where most of the conversation did not include him.
When questions were posed straight to him, he would turn to staffers, they all said – describing just the first alarming sign they have seen this year.
In another instance that month not mentioned by the Journal, Biden mixed up the names of two of his Hispanic cabinet secretaries, sparking more speculation about his mental capabilities.
Within weeks, he publicly forgot the names of Russian dissident Alexei Navalny’s widow and a German chancellor who died in 2017, while also confusing the leaders of far-flung Egypt and Mexico.