Joe Biden, 83, Sparks New Health Fears as Cancer-Stricken Ex-Prez 'Slurs' Through Jesse Jackson Eulogy
There was concern for Joe Biden at Jesse Jackson's funeral.
March 6 2026, Published 5:00 p.m. ET
Joe Biden has sparked fresh concerns for his health, RadarOnline.com can report, as the former president appeared to struggle to speak at times while eulogizing Jesse Jackson.
The 83-year-old former president has rarely been seen since leaving office, after revealing his devastating cancer diagnosis.
'Painful to Watch'
Biden was accused of 'slurring' his way through his eulogy.
Biden joined fellow former U.S. presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama at Jackson's funeral. The civil rights icon died on February 17 at age 84. Notably absent from the event was former first lady Michelle Obama.
At 83, Biden is not far behind the reverend in age, and many critics online said it showed, as the elder statesmen struggled at times with his words and balance.
"Joe Biden is so old, and his speech is so slurred," one person blasted on X, as another echoed: "Joe Biden just mumbled something at JJ service. What is Joe Biden talking about?"
A third person stated, "Joe Biden is painful to watch," while one person slammed, "Joe Biden had zero business running for reelection. This Jesse Jackson eulogy is embarrassing."
Biden joined Bill Clinton and Barack Obama at the service.
Biden has stayed largely out of the spotlight since being pushed out of office. But when he does appear, "slurs" and "mumbles" can be common.
The octogenarian appeared to fumble the word "America" during remarks while accepting an award at the International LGBTQ+ Leaders Conference in December.
"We are one of the only countries in the world that time and again has come out of every crisis stronger than we entered into that crisis," Biden said as he opened his remarks. "We just have to get up. So long as we keep the faith, summon hope, we get back up and remember who in the hell we are."
Moments later, Biden attempted to emphasize national resilience but tripped over the key phrase.
"We're the United States of 'Amerigotit'," he said forcefully, before trying to quickly recover. "That's who we are. We're the US."
Biden's History of Speech Screw-Ups
Biden has stumbled through several recent speeches.
Another widely criticized incident occurred during a NATO summit, when Biden mistakenly introduced Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as "President Putin," prompting shocked reactions from attendees.
He attempted to correct himself mid-speech, saying, "No, we're going to beat Putin," attributing the error to being "so focused" on the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
Hours later, Biden again slipped during a separate event, calling Kamala Harris "Vice President Trump." He said, "Look, I wouldn't have picked Vice President Trump (Harris) to be vice president if I think she was not qualified to be president. So, let's start there. Number one."
Biden also mistakenly praised the "Congressional Black Caucus" while speaking to the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, shortly after honoring Sister Norma Pimentel for her humanitarian work.
Photoshop Fail?
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Critics said it looked like he was photoshopped into his family's Christmas pic.
The elderly leader has also raised suspicions that he has avoided public events altogether, after his family was accused of "photoshopping" the former president into their holiday photo.
On his official social media, Biden posted a picture from Christmas Day, hidden behind his wife, Jill, and barely visible in the pic.
People immediately flocked to social media to call out the picture, with one person writing, "I saw this photo and thought – No f------ way that's real. This is surely someone mocking Joe Biden, as being photoshopped into the picture – but no, it's real. It's from his official account. This is mindblowing."
One commenter asked, "Where's Joe?" while another alleged the family is "already leaving Joe out of the family picture and he ain’t even dead yet."
