After the press event on Tuesday with former President Bartack Obama at the White House, the current President, Joe Biden, was left to wander the room desperately seeking the attention of anyone who wanted to talk to him. At one time, Biden put his left hand on Obama’s shoulder, as if to say, “Hey Barack, I’m here too,” but Obama actually leaned forward and sort of brushed it away.
What’s going on here in the White House?
The first video isn’t even the worst, though it does illustrate how many people, mostly other elected Democrats like House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, would much rather get a word in with the former president than the sitting president:
Literally no one wants to talk to Joe Biden pic.twitter.com/ApZ2saHt71
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) April 5, 2022
It’s not a good look for a President that already has a reputation of being aloof and adrift with the country floundering under his poor leadership.
The other video, brutal in a different way, shows Biden trying to get Barack Obama’s attention but being waved off:
https://twitter.com/PapiTrumpo/status/1511488269095120900
It’s not that Biden isn’t getting any attention since clearly plenty of people wish to talk to the sitting President of the United States. As the saying went under the Obama administration, it’s the “optics” of the situation that is problematic for Biden.
Some media outlets took notice as well, pointing out that Biden had to jump on Twitter to deflect reports that he was being overshadowed or ignored by the former president:
Joe Biden was pictured Tuesday looking lost after fans ignored him to flock around Barack Obama during the former president’s first trip back to the White House since leaving office.
Biden, 79, was filmed raising his hands in gentle exasperation Tuesday, as he was ignored by a group who instead ran to greet Obama, 60.
Criticism of the awkward interactions emerged on Twitter, causing the 43rd president to jump to his former VP’s defense.
‘Always great catching up with @POTUS,’ he wrote Tuesday evening.
In some ways, it seemed like a cruel rejection of the man Democrats used as a vessel to prevent Donald Trump from winning a second term:
Did anyone else think treatment of Biden today was awful? He's done everything "they" wanted him to do & they kick him to the curb leaving him to wander around while they fawn over Obama (sans Michelle). These are not nice ppl, they don't, or can't even pretend protocol: poor JB
— Connie (@GirlPainting) April 6, 2022
Joe Biden is being used by many people around him in many different ways. He’s there as a figurehead for the country and the Democratic Party, but is he really in charge? If he is leading the White House on policy and agenda, then it’s pretty clear that his leadership abilities are leaving a lot to be desired.
On the other hand, if Joe Biden is not the one driving the car, then perhaps it doesn’t matter what the state of the economy is since he’s not pulling the strings anyway.
Biden wandering the room is a great metaphor for the United States wandering the global stage right now. No clear goals or objectives to make the country stronger, just a mish-mash of progressive policies designed to weaken America in every way that no one wants to accept.
