You might want to sit down for this.
President Joe Biden squatted down during ceremonies commemorating the 80th anniversary of D-Day, then awkwardly held the position before correcting himself while other dignitaries remained standing for his defense secretary.
The odd moment came during an interlude after Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron greeted surviving heroes of the Normandy invasion, as a military band played somber music.
Biden, 81, then bent his knees as if he were preparing to sit down.
Just as he was getting ready to plop down, the music suddenly cut, and a loudspeaker told the gathered ‘distinguished guests’ that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin would speak.
That got Biden to pause halfway to the chair, while others on stage were still upright. He then slightly elevated himself as if to stand. Then, he lowered himself down as other standing notables did the same.
Biden may have gotten some covert stage directions from first lady Jill Biden, who was standing next to him, and who sometimes guides him to the exits during his public events.
After Biden starting squatting down, the first lady covered her mouth and scratched the area above her upper lip. It was difficult to tell whether she let him know it wasn’t yet the right time to sit.
Biden is attuned to the comfort of guests at large public speaking events. He regularly tells his own listeners who stand for him to please take a seat if they have one.
The unusual moment came during a day of moving encounters with some of the last members of the ‘Greatest Generation.’
Biden met with two dozen U.S. vets who landed at Normandy in 1944 and served in what he called a ‘crusade’ that ultimately liberated Europe from Nazi tyranny.
With several thousand vets and servicemen and women in the crowd, along with dignitaries that included Macron and French first lady Brigitte Macron, Biden may have been living up an old military saying: ‘Never stand when you can sit, never sit when you can lay down, never lay down when you can sleep.’
The president also may have dabbed at his eyes a few times during the ceremony. He clenched his fist following a military flyover.
The solemn ceremony, amid a time of other brutality in Europe that the president referenced in his speech, had a few other light moments, such when vet Robert Gibson, 11, told Biden, ‘Don’t get old.’
Jill Biden appeared eager to keep things moving. After the conclusion of the event, she guided Biden off the stage. The couple departed after Biden shook hands with a few more vets, holding hands as they walked. Even as Biden left, Macron remained behind to greet more of them.