Questions about President Joe Biden's health and cognitive state surfaced on social media following an incident during the Juneteenth celebration at the White House on Monday evening, where he seemed to freeze for nearly a minute. Additionally, Biden was observed slurring his speech during his address to the audience.
Biden Stood Still During Performance
The event at the White House included Vice President Kamala Harris, her husband Doug Emhoff, and Philonise Floyd, brother of the late George Floyd, all enjoying the live band's performance.
A video clip of the incident has gone viral on social media, showing President Biden suddenly freezing while those around him continue to dance and clap to the music. After nearly a minute, Philonise Floyd is seen speaking to Biden and placing his arm around him. The President eventually responds with a fist bump to Floyd.
In 2021, Biden signed legislation designating June 19, known as Juneteenth, as a federal holiday. This date marks the day in 1865, following the Confederate states' surrender at the end of the Civil War, when a Union general arrived in Galveston, Texas, to inform a group of enslaved African Americans of their freedom as declared in President Abraham Lincoln's 1863 Emancipation Proclamation.
Later while addressing nearly 1700 people at the event, Biden said, "Black history is American history," while adding that he would continue to fight for the rights of Black Americans despite some political leaders working to take away their hard-won freedoms.
"The day reminds us that we have a helluva lot more work to do. Let's keep marching. Let's keep the faith," he went on to add.
Concerns on Social Media
The social media users were quick to react to the video. "BREAKING: Sleepy Joe Biden was geeked at the Juneteenth Fakemink concert," wrote a user.
"President Joe Biden sparked concerns on Monday night when he appeared to 'freeze' for the better part of a minute during a lively Juneteenth celebration at the White House. Just my humble opinion but I think Biden is showing classic signs of Akinesia. 'Freezing' can be a common symptom of Parkinson's disease. People describe it as feeling like their feet are 'glued' to the ground. They are unable to move forward for several seconds or minutes. One of the most common signs of Akinesia is 'freezing,' opined another user on X.
"Joe Biden couldn't read a sentence tonight during his speech at the Juneteenth event with Kamala Harris. He also couldn't find his way off of the stage again," read another tweet.
"President Joe Biden is actually glitching. Stop this charade. He shouldn't be Commander-in-Chief now, never mind for another 4 years. His 5 minute Juneteenth speech was a series of flubs but this glitch is deeply concerning. Is he have mini-strokes?" opined another user.
