During the recent G7 Summit meeting in Italy, Pope Francis attended a roundtable outreach meeting with global leaders. As the head of the Catholic Church arrived at the conference, President Joe Biden approached Francis, speaking to him at an intimate distance and even bumping him with his forehead.
Footage of Biden’s conversation with the Pope captured a comical reaction from Argentinian President Javier Milei, who appeared surprised by the interaction. Subsequently, social media erupted with responses to Biden’s strange interaction with the Catholic leader.
The Babylon Bee published a comical headline: “Biden Disappointed After Huge Scoop Of Vanilla Ice Cream Turns Out To Be Pope Francis.” Conservative commentator Ian Miles Cheong wrote, “Milei’s reaction to Biden getting in too close to the Pope is incredible.
The American Tribune reported on other news from Biden’s trip to the G7 Summit, where he displayed apparent signs of his advanced age and questionable cognitive health. While concerns about Biden’s mental and physical state in the U.S. are often downplayed as attacks from conservatives, it appears that foreign nations are beginning to draw the same conclusions as well.
Diplomatic sources at the G7 reported that Biden was “losing focus” and appeared “tired” during the event’s programming. Furthermore, an Italian newspaper pointed out Biden’s “rigid movements,” questioning the president’s condition.
Part of an article titled “Biden and the videos of his rigid movements. How is the president?” read, “A video in which the G7 leaders are observing the paratroopers’ performance of the Folgore Brigade and Biden steps away for a moment, recalled by Giorgia Meloni, who touches his arm, has gone viral. Critics describe it as a moment in which he “gets distracted” and “wanders;” supporters note that, in reality, he only turned around for a moment to compliment one of the paratroopers.”
The article referenced an incident in which the group of world leaders was gathered for an event in which a team of parachuters descended from the sky holding the nation’s respective flags. However, Biden appeared to wander from the group, turning his back to the event. The other leaders appeared to look at each other in confusion before Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni quickly ushered Biden back to the group. Watch the encounter between Biden and the Pope below:
However, officials from within the Biden administration noted that the president had to endure “very intense days” packed with busy itineraries. “These are very intense days filled with lots of meetings. And we try to see as many leaders as possible. It’s obviously impossible to see everybody who’s here. So we prioritize the best we can,” the official said.
Some have argued that Biden’s performance at the international summit has vindicated the worries of many Americans concerned about Biden representing the United States on the world stage, given signs that his mental faculties may be declining at age 81.
The respective leaders of the top developed countries in the world, including Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States, descended on Puglia, Italy, to attend the informal meeting to address a variety of global challenges.
Note: The featured image is a screenshot from the embedded video.
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