President Joe Biden appeared to fall asleep during a meeting with African leaders Wednesday, Breitbart reported. The 82-year-old seemed to nod off for about 80 seconds during a discussion at the three-day summit.
The president was in Angola for a short trip to talk to leaders and pledge $2.5 billion to build railroads through Africa. "Mr. President, I’m coming back to ride on the train all the way from end to end," Biden said to João Lourenço, president of the southern African nation.
"I like trains a lot. So I’m coming back. You’re stuck with me," the president added while still alert.
"Africa has been left behind for much too long. But not anymore. Africa is the future," Biden triumphantly claimed. Unfortunately, that enthusiasm wasn't enough to keep him engaged for long.
Biden is finishing out his one and only term as president, but it appears he's already checked out. During Wednesday's meeting, the president found it difficult to keep his eyes open during a discussion.
On two separate occasions, it appeared that Biden nodded off in his chair as he put his hand over his eyes. The UK Daily Mail noted that Biden's "hand twitched and he dropped something" at one point as well.
Breitbart reporter Wendell Husebo shared a video of the president apparently catnapping at his seat. "Joe Biden appears to fall asleep in the middle of a summit with African leaders," Husebo captioned the video on X, formerly Twitter, Wednesday.
Joe Biden appears to fall asleep in the middle of a summit with African leaders
— Wendell Husebø (@WendellHusebo) December 4, 2024
This apparent inability to stay awake has plagued Biden for some time. Shortly before he dropped out of his reelection bid in July, Biden told state governors on a call that he needed more sleep. "I’m fine — I don’t know about my brain, though," the president said.
During the 2020 campaign, President-elect Donald Trump famously conferred the moniker "Sleepy Joe" on Biden. As it seemed Biden lived up to that name last week, the internet was abuzz.
Clay Travis, founder of Outkick, posted about the debacle to X. "Joe Biden fell asleep during a meeting with African leaders today," he wrote.
"He’s sharp as a tack though!" Travis wrote, referring to the way the media described Biden just before he left the presidential race. "Honestly, this feels intentional. Who puts an 82 year old on a plane for a THREE DAY trip to Africa?! Three days! So dumb," Travis said.
Of course, a National Security Council spokesperson came to Biden's defense in an attempt to save face. "The President was awake during the conversation and did not fall asleep. He was simply listening to his counterpart’s remarks."
Biden is an old man who has been struggling for years to keep up with the demands of the job. It's embarrassing that the leader of the free world would appear as anything but alert and engaged when the world is watching, but perhaps that's why Biden won't get a second term.
