Gulf Today Report
Former US President Barack Obama returned to the White House for the first time in 5 years, as his last visit was in 2017, but his return this time was not a good occasion for the current president, Joe Biden.
Obama, accompanied by a wide range of politicians and representatives of the US Congress, participated in a ceremony marking the twelfth anniversary of the launch of the American health care law, which was hosted by the White House, where President Biden signed amendments to the law, calling on American agencies to work on expanding the scope of health care for Americans, in a way that makes it more common, and less expensive.
Although Biden was supposed to be the star of the first party, he seemed lost, and Obama's presence overwhelmed him completely, as many American representatives and politicians gathered around him, leaving Biden alone, and the cameras even caught Obama's ignoring the current president in some situations.
According to British newspaper, "Daily Mail", Biden seemed lost, after highlighting Obama, during the ceremony held at the White House, where the American president appeared raising his hands to receive and greet the guests, who completely ignored his presence, and went to receive former President Obama, in a scene very embarrassing for Biden.
The local media indicated that before Obama overshadowed Biden during the ceremony, they exchanged banter and laughing shots, and the memories they gathered, as Biden was Obama's deputy.
Obama began his speech by making a joke to the American president, saying, “The Vice President has joined us,” noting that there are many things that have changed, including the uniforms worn by Secret Service agents, who seem to be forced to wear a uniform resembling pilots, in addition to the presence of a cat roaming the White House.
But Obama added, "It seems that all of this is being prepared by my president, President Biden."
But after he finished his speech, the attendees rushed to Obama to shake hands and exchange conversations with him, while Biden seemed confused, in light of the isolation he faced, especially with his being ignored, in the presence of the former president.
"Daily Mail" indicated that Obama's stardom is not strange, especially since he is still very popular in the Democratic Party, and Obama, 60, seemed more active and energetic than Biden, 79.
It seems that the White House scene is a clear reflection of the opinion polls, in which Biden's popularity has fallen to a low level, with an approval rate of only 39%, while the percentage of those who oppose his performance reached nearly 54%.
The situation recorded by the cameras between Biden and Obama in the White House received a wide response from some American citizens on social networking sites, especially Twitter.