Amid mounting criticism of his mental and physical capabilities during his re-election bid, 81-year-old Commander-in-Chief Joe Biden arrived in Italy on Wednesday to participate in the G7 Summit. Biden previously attended a global event in France, where he and First Lady Jill Biden landed to commemorate the D-Day 80th anniversary, sparking memes and mockery due to blunders committed.
During his latest trip, Biden awkwardly saluted Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni as she welcomed him for the G7 summit on Thursday.
The G7, comprising Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK, and the US, annually convenes informal meetings to discuss security and economic matters. Making his way onto the stage where the Italian PM was waiting, Shoofly, Biden was the last foreign leader to show up at the southern Puglia venue.
After a brief exchange of words, Meloni gestured to a frame bearing the G7 logo, which all the leaders in attendance had autographed using a marker.
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Social media users swiftly shared videos of the awkward salutation, which quickly went viral. While some criticized Biden’s gesture as out of touch, others praised him for attempting to show his Italian counterpart some dignity.
On the other hand, Meloni appeared unperturbed by the salute and continued conversing with other international leaders throughout the conference. The G7 meeting’s deliberations focused on several urgent global concerns, including the ongoing crisis in Ukraine.
Sharing the video on X, Italian-American Joey Mannarino quipped, “Did Giorgia Meloni join the US Military and no one told us? Why did Biden just salute her?”
Did Giorgia Meloni join the US Military and no one told us?
Why did Biden just salute her? 😂 pic.twitter.com/BoW7Q1KTzh
— Joey Mannarino (@JoeyMannarinoUS) June 13, 2024
Reacting to the comment section, one X user wrote: “He saluted Hunter the other day also.”
“He doesn’t know where he is,” a second user chimed in, while another commented, “She had to tell him what to do. And still, he gets lost. Such an embarrassment.”
One of the X users came to Biden’s rescue, stating that “I’m a huge Biden critic, but this is much ado about nothing.”
“He did it informally, like a thumbs up. I do it to coworkers from time to time, meaning. OK, got it.”
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