They just left him there.
Former President Joe Biden was awkwardly left lingering by himself on stage at the grand opening of the Barack Obama Presidential Center in Chicago, tepidly waving at the crowd after the ceremony ended.
A gleeful Obama had waltzed off the stage to the music, followed by a smiling former first lady Jill Biden, while the 46th president stood there seemingly dazed all by himself.
For reasons that aren’t clear, the 83-year-old went over to the podium and took off his sunglasses before staring into the crowd with a puzzled look on his face.
“Where’s my granddaughter?” he shouted.
The former president then seemingly started to make his way off-stage before footage of the event cut off.
Biden’s rare public outing was reminiscent of parts of his presidency, when he was seen wandering after events with a confused look on his face.
The 46th president joined former Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and their spouses in celebrating the grand opening of the Barack Obama Presidential Center on Thursday. Former Vice President Kamala Harris was also in attendance.
It was a rare public appearance by the former president, who is currently battling prostate cancer, which metastasized to his bones.
At one point, Obama went over to Biden and gave him a pat on the back as the two shared a laugh. The 44th president gave him kudos during his remarks.
“Thank you to your steadfast partnership for eight years. Joe, we started as running mates, and ended as family. And we would not be here without you, and we are grateful,” Obama said.
The Biden presidency is a sore spot for many Democrats due to how it ended. Critics argue that the octogenarian should’ve stepped aside earlier to give the party a better shot at beating President Trump.
“He made a terrible mistake,” Hillary Clinton told New Yorker editor David Remnick earlier this week. “He made a terrible mistake for himself, his legacy, and for the country.”
“We would have had a real contest,” she added about how events would’ve unfolded if Biden didn’t run. “And very sadly I believe whoever emerged from that contest, whether it was the vice president or a governor or a senator or anybody else, would have beaten Donald Trump.”
Jill Biden recently admitted that if she had a redo, she would’ve pushed her husband against seeking a second term.
She also publicly claimed that she thought her husband was having a stroke during his fumbling debate performance against Trump in 2024.
Biden had been the oldest president in US history, though Trump, who turned 80 on Sunday, is poised to top that by the end of his term.
