During the grand opening ceremony for former President Barack Obama’s presidential library, a moment with former President Joe Biden has reminded many why concerns about the 46th president’s mental acuity marked his tenure as commander in chief.
On Thursday, June 18, the Obama Presidential Center opened its doors in Chicago, Illinois, where the 44th president served as a senator before becoming president of the United States.
Designed in the brutalist architectural style, this presidential library is a civic center, setting it apart from many past presidential libraries which merely house the documents and artifacts of a given president’s time in office.
While he’s no stranger to hot mic gaffes, such as his infamous “big f****** deal” moment in 2010, this most recent moment appears indicative of his mental state.
Watch Biden’s Hot Mic Moment
Attended by the likes of Bruce Springsteen, John Legend, Common, and many others, a moment at the end of the grand opening ceremony has caught the attention of viewers as Biden, age 83, appears to have been left behind on the stage.
Former First Lady Dr. Jill Biden exited the stage at the end of the ceremony with former President Obama, looking behind her before making her way backstage with a photographer and Secret Service agent.
However, former President Biden can then be seen waving and pointing at center stage, wearing his iconic sunglasses.
He then lowers his sunglasses from his face, appearing to be confused within reach of the microphone at the podium, which was still on, asking, “Where’s my granddaughter?”
From there, he then meanders off stage with the event’s band having ending their closing song.
Watch the uncomfortable moment with former President Biden at the grand opening of the Obama Presidential Center, here:
Here’s a shot of former President Obama directing former President Biden off stage, showing Biden seemingly get lost moments before the hot mic moment:
Joe Biden gets directed off-stage by Obama then instantly gets lost and wanders away… pic.twitter.com/yCRh2XVaw4
— Danny De Urbina (@dannydeurbina) June 18, 2026
More On Biden’s Mental Health
Biden was 82 years old when he left office on Jan. 20, 2025, the day President Donald Trump, now 80, was sworn in for his second term.
Leading up to Trump’s second inauguration, Biden notably dropped out of the race for president in 2024, leaving then Vice President Kamala Harris with only 107 days to begin a campaign for president as Democrat nominee.
Biden’s presidency was marked by several moments like the one of apparent confusion at the Obama Presidential Center grand opening on June 18.
Notably, a measure to remove Biden from office under the 25th Amendment was never pursued with resounding support in either the House of Representatives or the Senate.
Hollywood actor George Clooney, a prominent Democrat, memorably wrote an op-ed in The New York Times, published 11 days before Biden dropped out of the 2024 presidential race, arguing that Biden was not fit for reelection.
In the essay, Clooney said of Biden:
“But the one battle he cannot win is the fight against time. None of us can. It’s devastating to say it, but the Joe Biden I was with three weeks ago at the fund-raiser was not the Joe ‘big F-ing deal’ Biden of 2010. He wasn’t even the Joe Biden of 2020. He was the same man we all witnessed at the debate.”
Clooney went on to write, “Was he tired? Yes. A cold? Maybe. But our party leaders need to stop telling us that 51 million people didn’t see what we just saw. We’re all so terrified by the prospect of a second Trump term that we’ve opted to ignore every warning sign.”
During a June 1 interview on the Today Show, just two weeks prior to the opening of the Obama Presidential Center, former First Lady Dr. Jill Biden was asked if she would’ve encouraged her husband to not run for reelection.
Responding, Jill said, “You know, as I look back, would I want to put Joe through the hurt and the pain that we felt during that time? Never, never. I mean, it was so hurtful.”
She went on to affirm that it was “his decision” to run for reelection, and “his decision to get out.”
See an earlier moment of former First Lady Dr. Jill Biden and former President Biden dancing together, here:
