Joe Biden has sparked backlash after he hastily exited a Medal of Honor ceremony at the White House, leaving a celebrated war hero awkwardly alone on stage.
The President, 80, quickly made his way out of the East Room after awarding the nation’s highest military honor to Larry Taylor, 81, a retired Army Captain celebrated for his heroics during the Vietnam War.
But while Taylor shed a tear as the medal was pinned to his lapel, Biden appeared less moved by the moment as he was reportedly already heading out of the door before the closing benediction was read.
While many have reacted with fury, some have speculated that the commander-in-chief was trying to give the veteran the spotlight, leading to an awkward moment where Taylor was left alone on stage.
The gaffe came after Biden was earlier criticized for removing his mask moments before greeting Taylor, despite First Lady Jill Biden testing positive for Covid-19 the day before.
Biden’s quick getaway is the latest in a long line of incidents that have led people to brand him disrespectful to the troops, including an infamous moment where he repeatedly checked his watch during a ceremony honoring soldiers killed in an ISIS-K suicide bombing in Kabul, Afghanistan in 2021.
President Joe Biden awards the Medal of Honor to Capt. Larry Taylor, an Army pilot from the Vietnam War who risked his life to rescue a reconnaissance team that was about to be overrun by the enemy
Moments after he was awarded the nation’s highest military honor, Taylor was left awkwardly alone on the stage when Biden made a hasty exit
Biden was awarding Taylor, a retired Army Captain, for his bravery during the Vietnam War, where he risked his life for his comrades in the jungle in June 1968.
The helicopter pilot was handed the accolade for his role in a rescuing a squadron surrounded by enemy forces, as he flew through gunfire while strafing ground troops for almost an hour.
When he was running low on ammunition, Taylor descended into the battlefield and extracted the foot soldiers, saving them from certain death.
But while Taylor was full of emotion as he wiped away a tear when the medal was pinned to his lapel, Biden appeared less moved by the moment.
His quick exit was condemned by military veterans following the ceremony, who argued that he showed a brazen lack of respect for the veteran.
‘Pardon my French… But what a f***ing idiot,’ said former Navy SEAL Shawn Ryan. ‘The continuous lack of respect Biden has for anyone is appalling.’
Ryan, a podcast host, also noted Biden’s recent appearance in wildfire-hit Hawaii as evidence of his apparent lack of respect.
The incident saw the president initially slammed for ‘no commenting’ on the crisis, before he gave a rambling speech and jetted off for a vacation in Lake Tahoe.
His most recent show of contempt has brought a wave of fury from military supporters online, with one daughter of a deceased colonel lying at Arlington Cemetery condemning him for ‘leaving (Taylor) alone on the stage.’
‘He hates our military,’ she concluded. ‘What is it with Biden? He keeps on showing disrespect to our men and women in uniform,’ said another stunned viewer.
‘Here leaving a Medal of Honor recipient alone on the stage while he beehives for the exit. Nothing honorable about this President.’
While many reacted with anger, Texas Congressman Wesley Hunt, an army veteran, made light of the apparent disrespect by noting Biden’s previous blunder at the Afghanistan ceremony in 2021, saying: ‘At least he didn’t check his watch this time.’
The president has come under increasing scrutiny over his advanced age in recent months as his reelection campaign heats up, with military account Military Arms also taking aim at his age on X, formerly Twitter.
‘Do you think this was done on purpose or just is it more senile moments? I think the guy is so self-absorbed he makes blunders like this.
‘God this man is a massive embarrassment to our nation,’ he said.
Earlier in the ceremony, Biden raised eyebrows when he removed his face mask while standing next to the 81-year-old war hero despite his wife Jill testing positive for Covid-19 the day before.
President Biden was also criticized for removing his face mask during the ceremony, despite the First Lady testing positive for Covid-19 the day before
President Joe Biden remains negative for COVID while Jill Biden, a teacher, missed the first day of school after testing positive
The president entered the room wearing a black face mask, but decided to remove it before the ceremony got underway.
He then remained mask-less for several minutes as he stood beside Taylor. The president remains negative after being tested on Monday night and Tuesday morning and shows no symptoms.
Before the event, the White House said he would follow CDC guidelines, as press secretary Karine Hean-Pierre said he would only remove it when ‘sufficiently’ distanced from others.
‘He will be masking while indoors and around people in alignment with CDC guidance and as as has been the practice in the past.
‘The President will remove his mask when sufficiently distance from others indoors and while outside as well,’ she said on Tuesday, before the ceremony.
The president didn’t put his mask back on to walk out of the East Room but did give a thumbs’ up when asked how his wife was doing, saying she was ‘well.’
His decision to remove the mask left viewers scratching their heads, with one woman remarking: ‘I’m floored by his behavior.
‘There’s no point walking in masked to then unmask & put everyone at risk.’ ‘I hope their families sue if they get sick,’ said another critic.
Biden escorts the Medal of Honor recipient to the East Room in a mask, which he was later criticized for removing
In 2021, President Joe Biden came under fire for appearing to look at his watch during the ‘dignified transfer’ onto American soil of the 13 American troops killed in a Kabul suicide bomb attack
The claims that he was disrespectful to the troops comes two years after the infamous moment where Biden appeared to check his watch during the ‘dignified transfer’ onto US soil of the 13 American troops killed in a Kabul suicide bombing.
After he broke the solemn moment to glance at his wristwatch, a slew of military veterans spoke out to lament his behavior.
‘Looks like he was being inconvenienced by having to show some respect for these American Heroes [sic],’ wrote Desert Storm Army veteran Samuel Williams.
Submarine veteran J Larry Hanna wrote: ‘Biden, as the caskets passed before him, had to glance at his watch. Does he have something more important?’
Another veteran wrote: ‘After a fallen soldier goes by, Biden shows his true incredibly disrespectful soul, he checks his watch as if he has somewhere else to be. I’m so mad, this is personal slap to all veterans and active duty.’
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