Video of Joe Biden Struggling With Umbrella in Japan Goes Viral

Footage of President Joe Biden appearing to struggle with his umbrella in Japan has gone viral, sparking mockery from conservative commentators.

The president arrived in Japan on Thursday at the Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, ahead of a summit of leaders from the G7 group of advanced industrial economies.

Biden has announced plans to seek reelection in 2024, despite polling showing over two-thirds of Americans believe he will be too old to serve for a second term. As a result, the president's health, and mental fitness for office, are likely to be raised by Republicans as significant issues during the campaign.

On Twitter, the official Republican National Committee (RNC) research account shared a clip of Biden's arrival in Japan, originally broadcast on C-SPAN. The footage begins with Biden walking down the stairs from Air Force One in the rain, while fumbling with a large black umbrella.

The president is greeted by Kenji Yamada, Japan's state minister for foreign affairs, and other dignitaries, while holding the umbrella under his arm. Noticing the president was getting wet, a number of other individuals hold their umbrellas over Biden, before he finally gets his open.

Accompanying the footage, the RNC wrote: "It took Biden almost a minute to figure out how to open his umbrella after landing in Japan in a torrential downpour."

This post has so far been retweeted 130 times, and received more than 42,000 views, according to Twitter statistics.

The RNC's tweet was shared by conservative activist Benny Johnson to his 1.5 million followers, who wrote: "Umbrella – 1 Joe Biden – 0." This received 163 retweets and more than 108,000 views.

Separately, The Post Millennial, a right-wing Canadian online magazine, retweeted the footage, adding: "Biden struggles with umbrella after landing in Japan."

However, some other accounts hit back, implying the RNC was fixating on a trivial incident. Mary Pucci, a Twitter user from Wisconsin, wrote: "Oh no! Umbrella gate! How awfulllllll! Maybe large Marge [Marjorie Taylor Greene] can add this to her articles of impeachment."

Another user added: "He focused on the people before messing with the umbrella. This is called manners, which is probably why you were so stumped by the scene."

Newsweek has contacted the White House for comment by email.

On Friday, it was reported Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is also expected to attend the G7 summit. He is likely to seek additional Western support in the fight against the Russian invasion of his country.

In April, Biden officially announced he would seek reelection in November 2024, setting up a possible rematch with former Republican President Donald Trump.

Uncommon Knowledge

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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

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