Rishi Sunak says Joe Biden was just being 'polite' following awkward video footage
The US President has been struggling with the 30C heat at the G7 summit in Italy
President Joe Biden wanders off at the G7 summit in Italy
Rishi Sunak has debunked claims that Joe Biden wandered off during a G7 ceremony, insisting that the US President was just being “polite” to a parachutist.
The Prime Minister said Mr Biden had simply been saying “thank you” following a parachute display during the opening ceremony at the G7 summit in Italy.
Video footage shows the Commander in Chief walking away from the main group of World leaders and talking to someone out of picture.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is then seen guiding the President back to the group which included Mr Sunak and Emmanuel Macron.
Earlier footage showed Mr Biden appearing to salute the Italian PM as she greeted him at the luxurious Borgo Egnazia resort in Puglia, where the summit is being held.
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Asked about the footage, which went viral on social media and was covered by several US TV networks, Mr Sunak said the President was “alright”.
“I think he he went to go talk to the pilot. I mean, or the parachute. From what I remember, because he went to go and shake all their hand, because they had all landed. And he was being very polite,” he said.
“ And he just went over to kind of talk to all of them individually and Georgia was saying ‘Don't worry, they're all coming to [us]’.
“We were meant to line up so they could come and then shake all our hands.”
The awkward footage has raised further concerns about the 81-year-old’s health.
Mr Biden has been struggling with the 30C heat at the two-day summit.
A source said: “Biden had to sit down and rest at one point during the day because he was struggling with the heat.”
But he appeared perkier on Friday, leading a rendition of “Happy Birthday” for German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
Earlier this week Mr Biden was seen “freezing” at an event marking the anniversary of Juneteenth.
The president stood motionless while people cheered around him at a concert on the White House lawn on Monday.
He has endured a gruelling 10 days of travel after attending last week’s D-Day commemorations in Normandy before returning home for a few days.
He then jetted across the Atlantic again to attend the G7.
