- Biden started to take a seat during a D-Day ceremonies in Normandy
- He paused as Lloyd Austin was being introduced, then elevated and sat down
President Joe Biden squatted down during ceremonies commemorating the 80th anniversary of D-Day in France on Thursday, then awkwardly held the position before correcting himself while other dignitaries remained standing.
The odd moment came after Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron greeted surviving heroes of the Normandy invasion, as a military band played somber music.
Biden, 81, then bent his knees as if preparing to sit before momentarily freezing.
The move seemed to prompt First Lady Jill Biden to cover her mouth – raising questions about whether she quietly tried to offer him advice.
As Biden bent down towards his chair, the music suddenly cut out, and a loudspeaker told the gathered ‘distinguished guests’ that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin would now speak.
That prompted Biden to pause in his squatted position. He then slightly elevated himself as if to stand, before again lowering himself down.
President Joe Biden squatted down during ceremonies commemorating the 80th anniversary of D-Day in France on Thursday, then awkwardly held the position before correcting himself while other dignitaries remained standing.
His wife Jill – who sometimes guides her husband off stage during public events – covered her mouth and scratched the area above her upper lip. It was difficult to tell whether she let him know it wasn’t yet the right time to sit.
Biden is attuned to the comfort of guests at large public speaking events. He regularly tells his own listeners who stand for him to please take a seat if they have one.
The unusual moment came during a day of moving encounters with some of the last members of the ‘Greatest Generation.’
Biden met with two dozen U.S. vets who landed at Normandy in 1944 and served in what he called a ‘crusade’ that ultimately liberated Europe from Nazi tyranny.
First lady Jill Biden sometimes provides movement cues to the president during public events
The moment followed individual meetings with World War II veterans
Biden presented vets with specially made coins to mark the occasion
First lady Jill Biden covered her mouth and scratched below her nose as the president was preparing to sit
Just as Biden was preparing to sit, an announcer told guests Defense Secretary Austin would give remarks
Biden greeted veterans before and after the ceremony, but Emmanuel Macron stayed longer
With several thousand vets and servicemen and women in the crowd, along with dignitaries that included Macron and French first lady Brigitte Macron, Biden may have been living up an old military saying: ‘Never stand when you can sit, never sit when you can lay down, never lay down when you can sleep.’
The president also may have dabbed at his eyes a few times during the ceremony paying tribute to those who sacrificed on the beaches of Normandy. He clenched his fist with fervor following a military flyover.
The poignant ceremony, amid a time of other brutality in Europe that the president referenced in his speech, had a few other light moments, such when vet Robert Gibson, 100, told Biden, ‘Don’t get old.’
Jill Biden appeared eager to keep things moving. After the conclusion of the event, she guided Biden off the stage. The couple departed after Biden shook hands with a few more vets, holding hands as they walked. Even as Biden left, Macron remained behind to greet more of them.
Biden’s trip to Europe – the first of two within days – is being closely watched this election year for any signs of frailty, with his first presidential debate with Donald Trump, 77, just weeks away.
This week the Wall Street Journal published an investigative piece painting a concerning picture of a president who sometimes doesn’t remember meetings and mixes up policy details. The story quotes Republican leaders, and drew pushback from Democratic senators who said their statements didn’t get included.
Its publication drew new calls by some medical experts for Biden to take a cognitive test.
