People took to Twitter to poke fun at President Joe Biden after he struggled to follow the teleprompter during a speech.
While giving a speech during the final day of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit in Lithuania, Biden struggled to find the right words to say regarding Ukraine possibly becoming a member of NATO in the near future.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told reporters earlier that Ukraine would become a member “when the Allies agree and conditions are met,” according to the Washington Post. Currently, there are 31 NATO members.
“Soon NATO will be the 32nd freestanding….have free….30 free…32 freestanding members standing together to defend our people and our territory,” Biden said during his speech.
One Twitter user commented it appeared “the prompter wins. That is one tough piece of glass my friends.”
The Prompter wins. That is one tough piece of glass my friends.
— William Mitchelson (@WRMitchelson) July 12, 2023
“Good thing he rested instead of dinner with the big dogs…” another user commented, referencing how Biden had skipped a NATO dinner on Tuesday evening.
The White House said Biden had been working for four full days and needed to prepare for his speech today.
Good thing he rested instead of dinner with the big dogs…. https://t.co/49tARNz5Pl
— Donna Davis (@DonnaDavisHNL) July 12, 2023
Another person wrote how “even with a teleprompter, he’s barely intelligible.”
Wow…even with a teleprompter, he's barely intelligible. https://t.co/RnXsYoXTmW
— Close the borders! Make crime illegal again! LGB (@Glenn99352879) July 12, 2023
Earlier in the day, Biden snapped at a reporter who asked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky how soon after the war with Russia he would like to join NATO.
“An hour and 20 minutes,” Biden told the reporter sarcastically before adding, “You guys ask really insightful questions.”
Biden’s physical and mental health has been questioned more recently as his gaffes have become more frequent. During a trip to Ireland in April, Biden appeared to have trouble reading the teleprompter, causing people to wonder if he had learned another language.
In another instance, while visiting California with Gov. Gavin Newsom (D), Biden appeared to mix up his years, claiming his administration would conserve “30% of all the lands and water” in the United States. Prior to this incident, while giving a speech on gun control, Biden thanked the crowd before remarking, “God save the queen, man.”
A NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll from May 23 showed that 62% of Americans – 84% of Republicans, 69% of Independents, and 36% of Democrats believe Biden’s “mental fitness to be president is a real concern.”
