WASHINGTON -
A few days ago, US President Joe Biden repeated his handshake, even though no one was close to him at that moment, after he finished a speech he was giving in Seattle.
Biden ended his tour of Washington state with a speech about the proposed reforms, and when he said goodbye to the audience, he turned and extended his hand to shake hands even though there was no one behind, after which he reached his hand again into the void before the president turned to the audience with a smile and thanked him for the attention.
This incident came a week after a similar event. After Biden finished a speech at North Carolina State University on repairing infrastructure, he turned his back on the stage and extended his hand for a handshake, even though no one was near him.
Then Biden, visibly confused, walked several steps away from the podium.
Earlier this month, Biden appeared confused at an event that saw former President Barack Obama visit the White House for the first time since leaving office.
Footage showed Biden walking around confused and indifferent, while Obama was busy shaking hands with fans and fellow politicians in the East Room of the White House.
Biden's state of mind
During a press conference marking the one-year anniversary of his arrival at the White House on January 19, Biden received an unexpected question about his state of mind and mental fitness.
The president ignored a question by James Rosen, a reporter for the right-wing TV network NewsMax, about a poll conducted at the time by Politico that found that 48 percent of respondents disagreed with the statement, "Joe Biden is mentally fit to serve as president."
In response, Biden quipped that he would allow reporters to "make a judgment on whether the pollsters were correct."
Asked why there was such a large percentage of American voters with such concerns "about his mental fitness," Biden replied, "I have no idea."
And it wasn't the only time that the president's state of mind and mind had been discussed, as many touched on this during the election campaign, and during Biden's first year in office.
The issue of "the president's aging" has become a staple of right-wing and Republican media coverage of the White House and political affairs over the past few weeks and days.
The president's lapses are sparking an ongoing debate on the US (European) social media platforms.
the lost president
The debate took on more dramatic dimensions after repeated lapses from President Biden, whether while he was making statements or giving speeches, or what Americans have recently witnessed of a case that some have called a "lost president."
Biden's bizarre behavior, the latest of several brain lapses in recent years, has sparked an internet firestorm, with many citing the latest examples of Biden's deteriorating mental state, and others describing the president's actions at the end of the speech as "elder abuse" and questioning his mental state. .
Opinion polls are skeptical
Opinion polls show that Americans are increasingly suspicious of Biden's mental and intellectual abilities, and whether he is still fit to carry out his presidential duties, as he is the oldest president at the beginning of his duties at the age of 78.
A new opinion poll - conducted by ABC in cooperation with The Washington Post - showed that 54% of Americans do not believe that Biden has "the mental sharpness it takes to function effectively as president."
And only 40% believe that the president is mentally sharp enough for this position, in a significant shift in Americans' views on this issue compared to 2020, when 51% of them believed that Biden (the then presidential candidate) had the mental sharpness to occupy the office of president compared to 43% who saw the opposite. that.
Another opinion poll - conducted by Politico and Morning Consult Company - showed that 50% of Americans consider Biden to be "mentally unfit" to carry the responsibilities and duties of the presidency, compared to only 40% of those surveyed who said Biden is "in good health."
Republicans: The President's Eligibility Test
Republican figures routinely call for medical tests to determine whether Biden is "fit" to continue to serve his presidential duties, and some Republicans suggest that the president's condition may be normal due to his age.
Weeks ago, the Wall Street Journal's editorial board demanded - in an editorial - that Biden not be allowed to speak on very important issues unless he reads a written text that does not depart from it, especially during times of international crises that are related to weapons of mass destruction in one way or another.
While Fox News senior anchor Tucker Carlson said, "A lot of times when you're around someone who is experiencing cognitive decline, you find yourself trying to help them out in a sentence, trying to help them complete it, but we shouldn't do that with the commander in chief. It's actually a national security risk because it's sending signals that no reasonable person would want to send to Russia at this point."
Trump enters the line
For his part, former President Donald Trump mocked Biden, saying that his administration was "destroying the country" and repeated his accusations about the 2020 presidential election, describing it as "rigged."
"We have a president right now who, unfortunately, has absolutely no idea what the hell is going on. He shakes hands with the air, he's walking around somewhat perplexed... and taking orders from an Easter bunny," Trump told a crowd of Ohio fans.
Biden's repeated lapses have prompted some Republicans to point to the need to resort to the 25th constitutional amendment to remove Biden from office. He is no longer fit to carry out his duties.