According to recent reports, President Biden displayed signs of his advanced age during the G7 summit meeting in Italy. Eighty-one-year-old Biden spent roughly 48 hours meeting with global leaders and diplomats
The Sun reported that diplomatic sources from the event claimed the U.S. president was “losing focus” during the programming in Puglia, Italy. One person told the outlet, “It’s the worst he has ever been.” Another insider suggested that while Biden was sometimes sharp and on point during the meetings, he often appeared unable to concentrate.
Other reports were less complimentary of Biden, asserting that his performance was “embarrassing.” At one point, world leaders were watching parachuters descend from the sky while displaying flags of the allied nations. Footage of the incident showed Biden awkwardly turning his back to the group as they applauded the final jumper before he shuffled away.
The leaders of the other nations, Emmanuel Macron, Rishi Sunak, and Giorgia Meloni, looked at Biden, seemingly unsure of what to make of his behavior. Eventually, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni grabbed Biden’s arm and led him back to the group.
The White House promptly went on the defensive, dismissing claims that Biden’s elderly age was on display during the skydiving incident. According to White House Deputy Press Secretary Andrew Bates, critics employed “an artificially narrow frame to hide from viewers that he just saw a skydiving demonstration. He’s saying congratulations to one of the divers and giving a thumbs up.”
Furthermore, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said Biden was just being “polite” during the sky-diving event. Sunak stated, “He went to go and shake all their hands. Because they had all landed. And he was being very polite. And he just went over to kind of talk to all of them individually and Giorgia [Meloni] was saying ‘Don’t worry, they’re all coming to [us].”
This past week, The American Tribune reported on concerning behavior from President Biden, where an awkward incident has sparked concerns that the commander-in-chief is displaying “weakness on the world stage.” Footage shows the world leaders walking as a group, where Biden’s mobility appears visibly challenged and laborious. Watch the clip below:
National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan explained President Biden’s agenda during the summit, noting what he would be addressing at the G7 summit. “The first session will be on Africa, climate change, and development. And the President will have his chance, coming out of the Kenya state visit in particular, to talk about the full range of investments and approaches the U.S. has taken with respect to Africa to spur social and economic development, security, and in particular, investment. And I’ll come on to that in a minute.”
He added, “Second, we’ll have a session on the Middle East. This will be an opportunity for the leaders to get an update from President Biden on the negotiations with respect to the ceasefire and hostage deal, to talk about G7 support for bringing that deal to closure so that we can get a ceasefire in place and the hostages home.”