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Former President Joe Biden was caught in an awkward moment when he drifted back toward the stage as the dedication ceremony for President Barack Obama’s presidential library wrapped up Thursday.
Video shows Biden pulling down his sunglasses and peering into the crowd as his wife, Jill Biden, and Obama exited the stage, leaving him behind.
At one moment, Biden shouted, “where’s my granddaughter?’”
A person familiar with the situation told Digital that Biden was searching for his granddaughter, who was sitting in the audience.
OBAMA LEADING BIDEN OFF STAGE BY THE HAND ‘REALLY PISSED ME OFF,’ HUNTER BIDEN SEETHES
Former U.S. President Joe Biden attends the dedication ceremony for the opening of the Barack Obama Presidential Center in John Lewis Plaza on June 18, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. Barack Obama served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017 and was the first African American to hold the office. (Scott Olson / Getty Images)
The moment came at the conclusion of a star-studded event celebrating the opening of the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago, which brought together Obama, Biden, Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, former Vice President Kamala Harris and a host of entertainers and political figures.
The incident also follows renewed scrutiny of Biden’s health and his initial decision to seek a second term in 2024.
During an appearance at New York’s 92nd Street Y this week, Hillary Clinton called Biden’s reelection bid a “terrible mistake,” arguing that Democrats may have been better positioned had there been a competitive primary process before the 2024 election.
HILLARY CLINTON HAMMERS JOE BIDEN FOR 2024 REELECTION BID DESPITE SUPPORTING CAMPAIGN: ‘TERRIBLE MISTAKE’
Former President Barack Obama speaks during the opening day of the Barack Obama Presidential Center in Chicago, Ill., on June 18, 2026. (Pedro Ugarte/AFP via Getty Images)
“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,” Clinton said. “So I think it was a terrible miscalculation on the part of President Biden.”
Biden faced major pressure from Democratic Party leadership to drop out of the presidential race following his disastrous debate performance against Trump. Despite opinion pieces and public calls for him to exit the race, Biden remained in the contest for more than three weeks after the debate.
Former U.S. President Joe Biden and Former first lady Jill Biden appear on stage during the dedication ceremony for the opening of the Barack Obama Presidential Center in John Lewis Plaza on June 18, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. Barack Obama served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017 and was the first African American to hold the office. (Scott Olson / Getty Images)
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Meanwhile, former first lady Jill Biden recently wrote that she feared her husband may have been suffering a stroke following his widely criticized debate performance against then-candidate Donald Trump in June 2024, and suggested he should not have continued his re-election campaign.
The former president is also locked in a legal battle with the Justice Department over the release of audio recordings from his interviews with former Special Counsel Robert Hur, whose investigation into Biden’s handling of classified documents fueled additional questions about his age and memory. In those audio recordings, Hur described then sitting president Biden as a “well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory,” a characterization that became a flashpoint in the debate over Biden’s mental fitness for the job.
The 83-year-old former president is currently battling Stage 4 prostate cancer that has metastasized to his bones.
