President Joe Biden has faced criticism from conservatives who allege that he nodded off during a memorial event for the Maui wildfires. The incident occurred as Biden appeared to drop his head for several seconds while listening to a speaker.
Biden arrived on Maui on Monday to tour the regions that were ravaged by the wildfires that occurred on August 8.
The video provided fuel for critics who claimed he appeared to be asleep for approximately nine seconds while listening to the speaker's remarks.
You can see the video—which shows Biden only bowed his head for 20 seconds before facing the speaker again—below.
Tennessee Republican Representative Andy Ogles called for Biden's resignation, stating that falling asleep while hearing about the effects of a devastating fire was "absolutely disgusting."
But many online pointed out the dishonesty in these complaints given the fact that the President had merely bowed his head while listening to a speaker describe how they lost everything in the wildfires, which have left 115 people dead and at least 850 missing, according to the most recent updates.
The conservative claim even received a FALSE rating from Politifact.
People quickly came to Biden's defense.
The suggestion that Biden is both physically and "mentally frail" has become a favorite talking point in conservative circles even though claims about an alleged cognitive impairment are entirely unfounded.
In September 2020, ABC News reported the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) withheld intelligence warning of Russian disinformation attacking Biden to promote "allegations about poor mental health."
The intelligence bulletin, titled "Russia Likely to Denigrate Health of US Candidates to Influence 2020 Election," said American intelligence determined Russian operatives are sowing disinformation to convince the American electorate Biden has dementia and would be unfit to serve in office.
But the fact that the bulletin contains discredited allegations about Biden's mental health has not stopped conservative critics from claiming that Biden is very much at the mercy of his handlers.
@saywhat25; @jeanielorraine/Bluesky
@notdoingit; @billswallow/Bluesky
@cattheminion; @kriegsspuren/Bluesky
@krassenstein/X