US President Joe Biden welcomed leaders from Australia, Japan and India to his hometown of Wilmington for what could be the final meeting of the Indo-Pacific partnership established during his presidency.
An awkward moment was caught on camera when Biden, the oldest president in US history, snapped at a staffer just before introducing Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The video shared on X (formerly Twitter) captures yet another embarrassing gaffe by Biden as the 81-year-old president wraps up his speech at the Cancer Moonshot event, eagerly awaiting his aide to cue the next speaker. After discussing the Quad's mission to tackle cancer, he said, “So I want to thank you all for being here. And now, who am I introducing next?”
It seems the aide was running a tad behind schedule because after a brief, awkward pause, Biden quipped, “Who’s next?” With a swift hand gesture, another staffer finally pointed to the stage, leading to the introduction of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
As PM Modi walked on stage to join the US President, Biden instantly relaxed, cracked a joke and then wrapped his hands around the Indian PM, in an attempt to ease the tense atmosphere. The former 2024 presidential hopeful is no stranger to public gaffes, which raised concerns among Democrats and Americans alike during his now-suspended campaign.
“He is completely and totally cooked — and Kamala Harris covered it up,” a user on X commented on the video taking a swipe at Democratic nominee and Vice-President Kamala Harris. “A longer version of the clip shows he’s either being funny, or he’s losing it and tries to save face by being funny,” another wrote. “He could care less at this point to do any of his duties. They kicked him out... why should he? He's gonna do as lil as he possibly can & continue slipping up & letting tidbits of info go on purpose! He's still pissed!” a third added.
President Biden hosts final quad meeting
The gathering was dedicated to pushing forward Biden's initiative on the "cancer moonshot," which is designed to foster collaboration among the US and its Quad partners in order to combat the disease. Biden earlier expressed to PM Modi how "struck" he is by their ability to discover new avenues for cooperation, stating, “Today was no different.”
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida were also present at the Quad summit which was created in 2007 to help balance out China's increasing power in the Indo-Pacific area.
"I'm proud to announce the Quad Cancer Moonshot to end cancer around the world, starting with cervical cancer,” Biden said. “Cervical cancer is one of the most preventable cancers, yet every year 150,000 women in the Indo-Pacific die from it. We cannot and will not let that continue," he added.
After their get-together, the four world leaders came out with a big declaration they called the "Wilmington Declaration." The agenda is to about reaffirming how really dedicated they are to keeping the Indo-Pacific free and open which is also “inclusive and resilient."
The next Quad Summit will be hosted by India in 2025. A White House press release said, “In 2025, we intend to hold a Quad Regional Ports and Transportation Conference, hosted by India in Mumbai.”