WATCH | Top 10 moments when Joe Biden made us LOL

From children rubbing his hairy legs to his many tumbles, see some of Biden's top gaffes ever

22 July 2024 - 15:06
By Thango Ntwasa
Joe Biden laughs as he greets attendees during a campaign event in 2019.
Image: Joshua Lott/Getty Images Joe Biden laughs as he greets attendees during a campaign event in 2019.

For the last couple of weeks, many of us who have been following the presidential run for the upcoming elections in the US have waited with bated breath to see if Joe Biden would continue with his 2024 campaign. In a statement on Sunday, however, the president ended the suspense when he announced he would be pulling out of his re-election campaign, and endorsing vice-president Kamala Harris. This comes after queries about his health and whether he would be fit or in the best condition to run for another term in the White House.

“It has been the greatest honour of my life to serve as your president. And while it has been my intention to seek re-election, I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and to focus solely on fulfilling my duties as president for the remainder of my term,” Biden wrote.

Here's a look at some of the awkward moments that made us scratch our heads throughout his tenure and campaigns for election.

1. ANGRY JOE

During the final stretch of his run for the 2020 elections, Biden got into a tense exchange with a factory worker who questioned his administration's views on gun control. This resulted in Biden shooting back with “you're full sh**” as the exchange got heated over the specific type of guns needed.

2. ICE CREAM FOR GAZA

From Freudian slips to odd comments, Biden has often slipped up and said the oddest things on the job. During a visit to the famed Van Leeuwen ice cream shop, he engaged media and got flak for answering a question about a potential ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. Many questioned how seriously Biden's administration took the conflict.

3. A SLOW START

While it was positively reviewed, Biden's first solo press conference after his election came with a few gaffes. Other than taking the longest time to host one (64 days) since the 50s, he also got lost in his notes and struggled to hear journalists during interviews. This added more salt to the wound of Trump nicknaming him Sleepy Joe for his tendency to fall asleep while on duty.

4. 180 YEARS OF SLEEPY JOE

Just months into the job, Biden had a head-turning slip where he implied he had been working with senate for more than 180 years, albeit being at the job 36 years.

5. WHERE'S JACKIE?

In a moment that left many concerned for Biden's health, he called out a number of conference organisers for a word of thanks, but the list of names included Jackie Walorski, who passed away weeks before in a fatal car accident.

In a Reuters piece, Biden's press secretary explained that he was “acknowledging her incredible work” with the aim to invite the congresswoman's family to the White House for a bill signing making her “top of mind”.

6. HAIRY-LEGGED POTUS

Unaired footage from a 2017 interview made it onto the internet where Biden went on a storytelling speech about children touching his hairy legs. Attending the renaming of a swimming pool, Biden went on a yarn about a gang leader named Corn Pop who was a “bad dude” who “ran a bunch of bad boys”.

The story eventually leads to an altercation with Corn Pop at the swimming pool's parking lot. Biden said he got hot and exposed his hairy legs, explaining that kids in the pool would rub the hairs on his legs. 

7. WHITE HOUSE FITNESS

While Michelle Obama was able to pull stars like Beyoncé and even the Sesame Street cast, it would come as no surprise that her husband and then-president Barack Obama would rope Biden into the fitness drive.

The result was footage of the two jogging and stretching inside the White House. 

8. WHAT COMES UP ...

Whether it was while walking, riding a bicycle or climbing up the stairs of Air Force One, Biden has taken a number of tumbles during his tenure as Potus.

9. WILL THE REAL GEORGE BUSH PLEASE STAND UP?

During a speech meant to alert voters not to vote for Trump, Biden clumsily confused George Bush and Donald Trump.

10. DRESSED FOR DISTRESS

During a visit to Kentucky, Biden had yet another clumsy moment when he struggled to put on a jacket after descending from a helicopter. His wife, Jill, eventually helped but he caught a few giggles when he couldn't find his glasses a short while after.