Biden should just avoid public appearances moving forward.
Former President Joe Biden returned to the campaign trail Saturday night with a speech attacking President Donald Trump, but many viewers were focused on something entirely different after Biden appeared unsure which way to leave the stage.
The 83-year-old delivered the keynote address at the Maryland Democratic Party’s Fight Back & Win Gala near Baltimore, where he defended his administration while criticizing Trump’s leadership and recent projects.
However, as his speech came to an end, an awkward exit quickly became one of the most talked-about moments of the evening.
Watch the video below.
Biden shouts during his speech at a Democrat Party gala, and then he gets confused while trying to exit the stage 🙄 pic.twitter.com/4qchEXxMQZ
— Julia 🇺🇸 (@Jules31415) June 28, 2026
After speaking for roughly 10 minutes, Biden paused and looked toward both sides of the stage before pointing in different directions, appearing uncertain about where he should exit. After receiving guidance from someone offstage, he turned and walked off.
Earlier speakers left the stage from the opposite direction, making Biden’s brief pause more noticeable to both the audience in attendance and those watching online.
The clip spread rapidly across social media, where critics and supporters alike weighed in on the former president’s latest public appearance.
During his remarks, Biden defended his White House record while accusing the Trump administration of corruption and criticizing several projects associated with the current administration.
During his remarks, Biden took aim at what he labeled Trump’s “vanity projects,” citing updates to the White House, changes at the Kennedy Center, and construction involving the National Mall’s reflecting pool.
At one point, Biden referred to Trump by saying, “Whoa, what a loser.”
Throughout the speech, Biden paused several times to cough before ending with an appeal for Democrats to unite ahead of the upcoming election cycle.
“I guarantee we can do this,” Biden told the audience. “We just have to remember who we are. We’re the United States of America. There’s nothing beyond our capacity if we act together. Let’s get up and fight back.”
The appearance comes only days after another widely discussed moment during the opening ceremony for the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago.
That event featured former Presidents Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush, along with former Vice President Kamala Harris, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and other political leaders.
As the ceremony concluded, Biden remained onstage after many participants had already exited before asking, “Where’s my granddaughter?”
Former First Lady Jill Biden then returned, took his hand, and escorted him offstage.
Since ending his 2024 reelection campaign, Biden has made relatively few public appearances after facing pressure from many members of his own party to step aside.
Earlier this year, the former president also announced that he is undergoing treatment for Stage 4 prostate cancer, prompting messages of support from leaders across the political spectrum.
Saturday night’s appearance, however, quickly shifted the conversation back to Biden’s public performances. Video of his exit circulated widely online, with many Americans debating whether the awkward ending overshadowed the speech itself.
