Joe Biden’s team have ushered out reporters in a closely stage-managed press appearance. The US President, 81, asked for reassurance from the Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni that the pool of reporters at the G7 Summit weren’t going to be asking him questions.
The President Biden said “good to see you all” to the gathered reporters before turning to Meloni to ask if they were “just taking pictures.”
Meloni politely nodded and signified the pair would not be making remarks at the event. It was at that point the President’s handlers asked a pool of reporters to leave, reports MailOnline.
The meeting took place Friday morning as the two were seated in front of US and Italian flags at the start of a one-on-one meeting.
It is the latest in a line of stage-managed photo ops at summit with Meloni having provided guidance and aides to Biden.
The US leader was forced to skip a Group of Seven leaders’ dinner in Italy as he “struggled” behind the scenes. A source told Daily Express US: “Biden had to sit down and rest at one point during the day because he was struggling with the heat.”
The President has been spotted in a number of awkward moments during the day which have been viewed thousands of times on social media.
In one clip he is seen wandering away from the G7 leaders – including UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni – before being pulled back for a photo.
He was also criticised for stumbling during a speech announcing a 10-year security agreement with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
In another awkward moment, Biden asked for a pause as the noise of a chopper flew overhead. It followed points in which he struggled with his words while unveiling a 10-year security agreement with Kyiv – a nation at war with Russia since February 2022.
Some questioned Biden’s ability to speak effectively. Taking to X one person wrote: “What the hell is flying over our President’s head during his speech?”
“President #Biden is stumbling through his G7 speech,” added another. A third asked: “Is Biden going to make it through the speech? He looks and sounds horrible.”
