President Biden appeared to fall asleep Monday while listening to a speech at the U.N. climate conference, drawing a jab from the man who dubbed him “Sleepy Joe.”
Former President Donald Trump had a laugh at Mr. Biden’s expense after a video circulated showing the president closing his eyes for about 20 seconds as he sat through opening remarks at the U.N. Conference of the Parties, better known as COP26, in Glasgow, Scotland.
“Biden went to Europe saying Global Warming is his highest priority, and then promptly fell asleep, for all the world to see, at the Conference itself. Nobody that has true enthusiasm and belief in a subject will ever fall asleep!” said Mr. Trump in a statement.
Mr. Biden opened his eyes after another man, presumably an aide, approached and began talking to him.
The president reentered the 2015 Paris climate accord after taking office in January, reversing Mr. Trump’s 2017 decision to withdraw from the non-binding agreement, which seeks to limit the increase in global temperatures to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
Mr. Trump said the agreement put the U.S. at an economic disadvantage versus rivals like China.
“Even Biden couldn’t stand hearing so much about the Global Warming Hoax, the 7th biggest Hoax in America, followed closely behind by the 2020 Presidential Election Scam, Russia, Russia, Russia, Ukraine, Ukraine, Ukraine, Impeachment Hoax #1, Impeachment Hoax #2 and, of course, the ‘No Collusion’ finding of the Mueller Report,” said Mr. Trump.
I mean really though who can blame him… https://t.co/d5BNPTcSZN
— Steve Krakauer (@SteveKrak) November 1, 2021
Conservative commentators on social media feigned sympathy for Mr. Biden’s plight.
“Can you blame him?” tweeted Sean Davis, co-founder of The Federalist.
Mr. Biden spoke Monday at the annual climate confab, which was postponed from last year because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
COP26 opened Sunday and is slated to run through Nov. 12 in Glasgow.