Joe Biden Accused of Falling Asleep During Ceremony for Maui Wildfire Victims
Joe Biden left his Lake Tahoe vacation rental on Monday to travel to Hawaii.
Aug. 22 2023, Published 4:00 p.m. ET
President Joe Biden, 80, was accused of falling asleep during a ceremony related to the recent Maui wildfires, RadarOnline.com has learned.
Following a nine-day vacation in Lake Tahoe, the president and First Lady Jill left Nevada on Monday to visit areas impacted by the catastrophic fires.
Joe and Jill Biden visited Maui on Monday to tour areas devastated by wildfires.
After being ridiculed for giving "no comment" to reporters in the immediate aftermath of the wildfires, the Bidens finally went to Maui two weeks after the historic city of Lahaina was wiped out in the flames.
Like many previous public appearances, Biden's Maui trip wasn't short of gaffes. A moment during the visit was scrutinized by conservatives who claimed the commander-in-chief nodded off while attending a ceremony for the wildfire victims — with cameras capturing the questionable snooze.
Biden was criticized for comparing the Maui fires to a kitchen fire at his home.
Biden was most recently accused of falling asleep during a pivotal moment by conservative media creator Tom Elliott under his X account, formerly called Twitter, @GrabienMedia.
On Tuesday, he shared a link to a video captioned, "Biden Appears to Fall Asleep During a Ceremony in Hawaii Honoring the Hundreds of Americans Killed by the Fires."
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At 80-years-old, Biden is the oldest president in U.S. history.
The 31-second clip showed Biden seated at a table in a crowded venue. The Democrat appeared to keep his head bowed for some time before raising his chin to acknowledge applause from the crowd. During the video, a speaker can be heard talking about a unified rebuilding effort.
The clip, however, was misleading when it was compared to a longer video of the same event that gave additional context to the so-called Sleepy Joe moment.
Biden vowed to continue to support recovery efforts in Hawaii.
According to Mediaite, a longer video from which Elliott's claim was taken showed Biden cough, then bowing his head momentarily. The outlet noted that another X account, @PoliticsVideoChannel, shared the full version.
The extended clip was posted along with the caption, "A video is spreading showing Joe Biden appearing to sleep while visiting wildfire survivors in Lahaina in Maui County, Hawaii. This is FALSE."
"The longer video shows Biden not sleeping. Biden bowed his head for a brief few seconds," the caption continued. "FACTS MATTER!"
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Despite the full video showing Biden dropping his head for only 20 seconds, Ellott's claim rapidly made the rounds as critics claimed the account was covering up for the president.
One X user claimed Biden's breathing in the clip gave him away, writing, "Look at his breathing… taking a nap!" Another replied, "totally nodded off and then he was like oh crap I nodded off."
Biden has been accused of falling asleep in similar situations before, including during a speech he gave at the 2021 climate summit when he closed his eyes for a beat too long.
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