Joe Biden’s meandering Vietnam news conference is suddenly ended by White House staff, leaving many to question who is in command

In Vietnam, President Joe Biden concluded his first trip to Asia as president with a news conference marked by incoherent responses, uncomfortable jokes, and a plea for a sleep.

In the middle of Biden’s press conference on Sunday night while he was answering questions from the media, things suddenly changed. It was an odd moment, reminiscent of a speech at an awards ceremony that went on for much too long, when the President was figuratively “played off” the stage by the abrupt arrival of jazz music blasting from the speakers.

“We discussed stability, the Third World, excuse me, having access to change, the Southern Hemisphere. It wasn’t at all confrontational. Biden, 80, started out by rambling.
His press assistant Karine Jean-Pierre’s authoritative voice intervened to say, “Thank you, everyone,” signaling this unexpected change of events. The news conference is over now. “Thanks, everyone,” was said quickly to end the press session.

Biden kept talking despite the fact that his microphone had been muted for a very long time.

While Biden continued to answer questions, the soothing jazz music started to play over the loudspeakers, gradually obliterating his speech. Biden ultimately placed his leather-backed binder away and left the stage, going behind a curtain as the music became louder.

In order to fight China’s expanding influence and aggressiveness, Biden flew to India and Vietnam for a series of talks with G20 and Indo-Pacific leaders.

But the conflict in Ukraine, which has become worse recently as Russia invaded its neighbor, overshadowed his trip.

The president, who is now 80 years old, focused a lot of his time and energy on the war, which he saw as a worldwide problem that challenged the global order.

For his comments on Taiwan, the independent island that China claims as its own, Biden also garnered media attention.

In contrast to the long-standing US policy of “strategic ambiguity” that avoids taking a firm position on the matter, Biden said on Monday that the US would react militarily if China invaded Taiwan.

He did not withdraw his prior comments when he explained on Tuesday that his position had not changed. In contrast, he added, he wanted to build a relationship with China that was “on the up and up.”

As the last performance of his tour, Biden’s news conference in Hanoi on Sunday ended up being a display of mistakes. Biden addressed questions from reporters while seeming exhausted and bewildered, sometimes veering off topic and cracking unfunny jokes.

After the 26-minute news conference, he said at one point that he was going to bed. Additionally, he said that he would not respond to any “softballs” and that he was following his staff’s instructions on who to call.

The 46th President of the United States also recited one of his favorite jokes about a scene in a John Wayne film when an Indian character refers to a Union soldier as a “lying, dog-faced pony soldier.” He described individuals who reject climate change in this way.

Some viewers mocked and criticized Biden’s performance, casting doubt on his capacity for leadership and mental health. On Twitter, a video showing Biden requesting a sleep amassed over 2 million views and many comments.