Joe Biden Freezes Yet Again at Star-Studded Fundraiser, Obama Forced to Pull Him Off Stage

President Joe Biden appeared momentarily disoriented on stage and had to be assisted by former President Barack Obama at a high-profile campaign fundraiser in Los Angeles, on Saturday night. The incident occurred after Biden and Obama participated in a 45-minute interview with late-night host Jimmy Kimmel at the Peacock Theater, as per Daily Mail. Following the discussion, as the audience stood in applause, Biden seemed to fix his gaze on the crowd for about 10 seconds before Obama took his wrist and guided him offstage.

This isn't the first time Biden looked confused in public. Recently, at the G7 summit in Apulia, Italy, Biden seemed to wander off during a parachute show. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni had to gently guide him back in time for a group photo with other world leaders. Despite the incident, the fundraiser was a financial success, raising over $30 million for Biden's campaign. The event was attended by several Hollywood stars, including George Clooney, Julia Roberts, and Barbra Streisand, as reported by the New York Post.

During the event, Biden, Obama, and First Lady Jill energized the crowd with a series of familiar talking points. Biden used the event to slam his political opponent, Donald Trump. He argued that the idea of Trump getting to choose two more Supreme Court justices is 'one of the scariest parts' of the former president being elected again. Subsequently, he brought Trump's COVID-19/bleach blunder. "Remember the pandemic? He said, don’t worry, just inject a little bleach," Biden recounted. "It worked for me," Kimmel quipped. "It worked for [Trump]," Biden replied. "It colored his hair." Obama also criticized Trump, asserting that there are certain "standards and values we should stand for."

The Biden campaign's $30 million haul—reportedly the highest amount a Democratic candidate has ever raised in a single night—comes as the campaign seeks to counter the fundraising surge of the former president. Trump raised over $50 million during an April fundraiser in Florida and amassed tens of millions more following his guilty verdict last month in the high-profile hush money trial.

Meanwhile, on Saturday, Trump gave remarks in Detroit where he challenged Biden to a cognitive test. However, the former president made a series of gaffes during his speech, which led to intense mockery online. The pair are set to face off in a highly anticipated first debate in less than two weeks. Recent polls have posed challenges for the Biden administration, showing the incumbent trailing Trump in crucial states like Arizona, Nevada, and Florida.

A particularly concerning survey from Marist College earlier this week revealed that Trump had gained a small lead even in Biden’s home state, Pennsylvania. In response to critics troubled by footage of Biden appearing momentarily disoriented, the White House issued a statement. It read, "Once again, the President taking in an applauding crowd for a few seconds is being misrepresented as something problematic."