United State president looked to be dozing off as one speaker underscored the importance of taking action to save the climate. He opened his eyes and appeared to liven up when an aide walked up to him to chat.
Biden then sat forward and rubbed his eyes as Italy’s prime minister took the stage. The latest slip from the president came just hours after he reverted to pre-approved list of reporters when asking questions at the end of the G20 summit in Rome.
The 78-year-old Biden and his fitness for the job have been scrutinized by critics, including Donald Trump, while his dropping poll numbers have put pressure on his administration and mounting crises he faces.
He hasn’t released a medical report since 2019 and Jen Psaki has deflected questions about his health and coughing during speeches.
Later on, Biden himself took the stage as to deliver his own warning on the impending doom of climate change and wiped .
Climate change is already ravaging the world, he told a crowd at the United Nations climate summit. It’s not hypothetical. The president called climate change ‘the existential threat to human existence as we know it.
This is a decisive decade in which we have an opportunity to prove ourselves, Biden continued. We can keep the goal of limiting global warming to just 1.5° C if we come together.
We are still falling short. There’s no more time to hang back or sit on the fence or argue amongst ourselves. This is a challenge of our collective lifetimes,’ he continued. ‘Glasgow must be the kick-off of a decade of ambition & innovation to preserve our shared future.’
The president took a swing at Donald Trump in a separate speech at the conference. ‘I shouldn’t apologize but I do apologize,’ Biden said of Trump taking the US out of the Paris Climate Agreement.
Biden concluded his speech: ‘God bless you all and may God save the planet.’
Speakers were only allowed three minutes, but Biden’s remarks went far beyond the allotment, coming in at over 11 minutes.
A digital countdown from three minutes began at the start of the speech, and after each minute a speaker went beyond the time a chime sounded. The chime went off eight times during Biden’s remarks.