It Looked Like Biden Froze During Early Juneteenth Celebration at the White House

AP Photo/Evan Vucci

President Biden hosted an early Juneteenth celebration at the White House on Monday. During a performance by gospel singer Kirk Franklin, Biden appeared to freeze. 

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Did the president have a Mitch McConnell-type of moment? It looks like he did. Reports are that he didn't move at all for a minute. The guests were all standing. Biden was standing, flanked by Kamala on one side and George Floyd's brother on the other side. Philonise Floyd seemed to notice. He leaned over and engaged with Biden. Floyd spoke to him and put his arm around the president as though to help him. When Biden began to respond, they did a little fist bump.

Biden looked to be having a frozen episode. He looked a lot like Mitch McConnell did when he froze during a press conference. At the time, McConnell's people said it was likely a part of the process as his brain recovered from a bad fall he took. He hit his head when he fell and was hospitalized. 

When McConnell froze, he stood motionless with a blank stare on his face. Biden had the same look on his face. McConnell had a second frozen moment during an event in Kentucky. After the second episode, McConnell announced he was stepping down as Senate minority leader and would not seek re-election. He was 81, the same age as Biden. 

Where was Jilly from Philly? Kamala's husband was there with her. They were clapping and swaying to the music next to Biden on the front row. 

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This comes at an awkward time. Last week the Wall Street Journal ran a tough piece about Biden's loss of mental acuity. 45 people were interviewed, both Democrats and Republicans. Most of the Democrats spoke anonymously. It was notable, though, that they were speaking about Biden's condition at all. Most are silent or defensive when asked about Biden's ability to do the job, given his advanced age and obvious decline. 

The White House held the event at the White House the day after Biden returned from Europe. The trip was taxing on him and his performance was not good. He struggled to get through speeches and he was led around as he walked to his assigned spots. It was embarrassing for the leader of the free world to look frail on the world stage in France. 

Why did the White House hold a Juneteenth celebration nine days before Juneteenth? Why was George Floyd's brother a guest and sitting next to the president? It was a campaign event to rally black voters.

Biden signed into law the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act in 2021, making it an official federal holiday. Former President Trump also held Juneteenth celebrations at the White House. 

This year Biden is turning Juneteenth into a campaign event. He is hemorrhaging black voter support as he runs for re-election. If the polls are correct and the trend continues, it could make the difference in whether or not Biden wins in November. Trump is seeing an increase in black voter support. So, Biden is doing what he can to gain back support.

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The Biden administration is picking up its efforts to highlight his track record with Black Americans, inviting regional reporters to the White House to speak with several senior staff members ahead of a Juneteenth celebration and concert.

Top staffers stressed that Biden has done more than select the first Black person and first woman to serve as vice president, nominate the first Black woman to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court and appointed what they say is the most diverse administration in history.

George Floyd's brother was used as a prop to conjure up divisiveness. Biden is dividing the country as he speaks about black voters losing their right to vote, for example, in red states. There is no evidence of that. Voter turnout in Georgia was the highest it has ever been during the last election cycle. Election integrity laws have not thrown up barriers for minority voters, no matter how much Biden tries to scare them.

Biden's speech at the star-studded event was full of racially divisive language

President Biden warned on Monday of “old ghosts in new garments trying to take us back” in remarks commemorating Juneteenth, the national holiday that marks the freedom of the last enslaved people in America, and vowed that his administration was committed to protecting Black history and civil rights.

Speaking from the South Lawn of the White House, where he held a concert in honor of the upcoming holiday, Mr. Biden assailed efforts to erase Black history through book bans, limit opportunities through attacks on diversity programs and chip away at freedoms like the right to vote.

“Our history is not just about the past,” he told the crowd. “It’s about our present and our future. It’s whether that future is a future for all of us, not just for some of us.

“Folks, Black history is American history,” he said to applause, vowing that his administration would always “uplift it and protect it.”

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Biden, who called former KKK recruiter Robert Byrd a good friend, delivered a eulogy for Byrd when he died. When Biden campaigns, he is quick to call Republicans racist. In 2012, he accused presidential candidate Mitt Romney of wanting to put black people "back in chains." 

The president is too old and unable to do the job. He should not be running for re-election. This is just another example of that. 




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Ed Morrissey 12:40 PM | November 21, 2024
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