President Joe Biden has raised fresh health concerns after being caught on camera staring straight ahead as his vice president took the lead during a historic prisoner exchange between the United States and Russia.
The 81-year-old commander in chief appeared to be staring into the distance as Vice President Kamala Harris spoke to a reporter Thursday night.
He only moved once, apparently to scratch his head.
“This guy is not there,” said Juanita Broaddrick published in Xsharing the video.
“Joe Biden is gone,” says Nick Sortor aggregate‘It’s completely gone, damn it.
‘This is pathetic.’
President Joe Biden was seen staring into space as Vice President Kamala Harris spoke to a reporter Thursday night during a historic prisoner exchange with Russia.
Nick Sortor shared the video and wrote that ‘Joe Biden is gone’
Meanwhile, the 59-year-old vice president took pains to praise Biden’s efforts to bring home Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and former Marine Paul Whelan.
“I’m so grateful to the president and what he’s done throughout his career, but particularly when it comes to these families and these individuals, what he’s done to bring allies together on many issues, but particularly on this one,” Harris said.
“This is just an extraordinary testament to the importance of having a president who understands the power of diplomacy and understands the strength that lies in understanding the meaning of diplomacy,” he continued.
Stuttering and seemingly stumbling over her words at times, the Democrat added: “And strengthen alliances.”
“It’s an incredible day,” he concluded, as the president looked on.
Biden only moved once while Harris spoke, apparently to scratch his head.
The vice president has assumed a more prominent position in the administration since Biden announced he was dropping out of the presidential race.
Harris stumbled as she tried to praise the president for bringing home former Marine Paul Whelan, left, and Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich.
Harris has taken on a more prominent role in the administration since Biden announced he was dropping out of the presidential race and endorsed his vice president to take over.
The decision came after weeks of concerns about his mental acuity following a disastrous debate with former President Donald Trump.
Many medical experts have suggested that Biden’s apparent cognitive decline could be due to his Parkinson’s disease, especially after it emerged that a doctor specializing in the disease was a regular visitor to the White House during Biden’s tenure.
California cardiologist Dr Ernst von Schwarz told DailyMail.com that Biden’s “dry mouth, staring, very few… hand movements and gestures… could be signs of cognitive decline” caused by his age, or “a neurodegenerative condition” such as dementia.
But they could also be due to the medication, he said.
“It is important to note that there are ways to improve someone’s speech through medical intervention,” the doctor said.
‘The use of medications such as psychostimulants (such as Adderall or Ritalin, among others) is very common for many to take them just before conferences, presentations or official tasks, as they increase the availability of dopamine in the brain.’
Harris is seen here greeting the wrongfully imprisoned Wall Street Journal reporter shortly before midnight.
Meanwhile, Harris has taken a leadership in the presidential raceleader in Arizona, Michigan, Nevada and Wisconsin.
Amid her rising popularity, Harris was seen greeting Gershkovich, a 32-year-old WSJ journalist, and Whelan, a 54-year-old former Marine, when they landed safely at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland.
Also freed was Russian-American journalist Alsu Kurmasheva, who was sentenced to more than six years in a Russian prison in a quick and secret trial late last month.
She was seen running into the arms of her family on Thursday, after hugging Kamal Harris and Joe Biden as they exited the plane.
But it was Whelan who disembarked first, followed by Gershkovich and then Kurmasheva. All three were seen shaking hands with Harris and Biden before happily running into the arms of their respective families.
After the celebration, all three were cleared to board another plane to San Antonio, where they will be examined by doctors and cleared to return home.