There was a mild drama during the events marking the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings in Normandy, France, when the president of the United States of America, Joe Biden appeared disoriented and faced the wrong direction different from where his host and his wife were facing.
The host, French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Bridget stylishly turned to face the same direction as Biden when they realized he was not turning back.
The commemoration in Colleville-sur-Mer, France, where US forces suffered substantial losses on June 6, 1944, saw leaders from around the world gather to honour the largest sea invasion in history.
As Biden and Macron walked out on stage together, Macron closely guided the American president.
While Macron stopped to greet other attendees, Biden seemed confused, looking left and right as if unsure of his surroundings.
At one point, Macron looked over and gave Biden a thumbs up, concerned about his counterpart’s state.
Throughout the national anthems of both France and the United States, which played back-to-back, Macron kept watching Biden.
A clip from the ceremony circulating on social media shows Biden turn around halfway through the taps performance.
Taps is a bugle call deeply ingrained in military tradition. It signals “lights out” at the end of each day. The song is played in remembrance of the soldiers who gave their lives for the nation.
As the song played, Biden turned backwards, and after a while Macron and his wife turned the other way too, just as Biden did- in a sort of cover-up for the US leader.
See the video here.
