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President Joe Biden seemingly froze mid-sentence on a live broadcast at the White House on Friday, February 16, 2024, while talking about Alexei Navalny's death. A viral video shared by Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) on X shows the 81-year-old talking about Russia and his 2024 Presidential election opponent, Trump, while stating:
"All of us should reject the dangerous statements made by the previous president that invited Russia to invade our NATO allies if they weren't paying up. He said if an ally did not pay their dues, he'd encourage Russia to, quote, do whatever the hell they want."
Following this, Biden seems to stop mid-sentence for almost 10 seconds, before saying, "I guess, I should clear my mind before speaking, not say what I'm really thinking."
Needless to say, netizens were left shocked and worried for the president.
"This is not an isolated incident": Internet users react to Biden freezing mid-speech on TV
As the video of Biden freezing mid-speech went viral, netizens were quick to opine on the matter. While many questioned his capacity to lead, others expressed their concern. Some even called the incident an "absolute embarrassment."
Here are some comments seen on X reacting to the incident:
Biden was under scrutiny just days ago after a report by special counsel Robert Hur stated that the president allegedly did not recall significant milestones in his life including when his son Beau died or when he served as vice president.
Hur called the 81-year-old an "elderly man with a poor memory," prompting Biden to later remark "My memory is fine."
Like Biden, 81-year-old Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell too froze mid-sentence on two separate occasions last year. At a press conference on August 30, when questioned whether the leader would be running for a reelection, he froze and stared blankly for a good 30 seconds. In a similar incident in July, McConnell froze for 20 seconds at a conference held at the Capitol in Washington.
