President Joe Biden, 82, played with a toddler Friday as first lady Jill Biden read Twas the Night Before Christmas amid the fallout because of a shocking report that suggested his cognitive decline started years ago.
The Bidens made their annual trek to the Children’s National Hospital in Washington, DC on Friday afternoon for Christmas-themed book reading.
As the first lady, an educator by profession, read the story, Biden made faces at the children in the crowd.
When a toddler approached him – causing Dr. Biden burst out laughing – motioned to the president that it was okay to climb into his seat.
The child did so, then left, returned and threw a ball at the president.
Children’s Hospital CEO Michelle Riley-Brown praised the president for attending the event, which has historically been attended by first ladies.
“No president has ever been appointed in four years,” Riley-Brown said.
Biden then asked if it was okay for him to say a few words.
President Joe Biden, 82, played with a toddler Friday as first lady Jill Biden read Twas the Night Before Christmas amid fallout from a shocking report suggesting his cognitive decline began years ago
When a toddler approached him – causing Dr. Biden burst out laughing – motioned to the president that it was okay to climb into his seat. He held the boy for a few seconds before he ran away
“This is a difficult time to be here,” the president said, acknowledging he knew it from personal experience.
His first wife Neilia and daughter Naomi were killed in a Christmas car accident in 1972 – the same year he was elected to the US Senate.
The crash injured young sons Beau and Hunter, and Biden spent hours in a Wilmington hospital during their recovery over the holidays.
The president and his family took a midweek trip to Wilmington, Delaware this week to attend church services to mark the sad anniversary.
“Keep hope,” Biden told the families. “These guys are going to take care of everything.”
Biden’s appearance came hours after reporters shouted about why he had not personally spoken out about the impending government shutdown.
Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre fielded a series of questions earlier Friday afternoon about why the president had not become more vocal after newly elected President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk derailed a bipartisan spending deal.
“We heard that message from you, but why don’t we hear it directly from the president? Why haven’t we seen or heard from President Biden?’ a reporter asked.
Jean-Pierre responded that “this is a strategy we have used many times before.”
President Joe Biden later got payback by getting hit with a small ball, while Dr. Biden continued to read the story to the children
A reporter later asked, “To be clear, the strategy is for him to lead by staying in the background.”
“The strategy is that Congress, and Republicans in particular, need to do their job and go their own way and focus on the American people and not their billionaire friends,” she said.
The investigations came after a prominent Democrat accused Biden of “quiet shutdown” as he limited public appearances and questions to the media in the wake of Vice President Kamala Harris’ election loss.
Moreover, new questions arose this week when The Wall Street Journal reported on the many ways in which Biden’s top White House staffers dressed him up to make it less obvious that he was showing signs of aging.