Long, 'awkward' pause from Biden during interview raises concerns over his mental abilities

WASHINGTON (TND) — When he was asked if his wife wanted him to run for president again in 2024, President Joe Biden took several seconds to answer.

Critics of the president are calling attention to the interview, claiming Biden "zoned out" during the chat and that it is yet another example of his declining mental faculties.

When speaking with an MSNBC reporter, Biden was asked if he was going to run for president again.

I have not made that formal decision, but it is my intention," Biden answered. "My intention to run again, and we have time to make that decision."

The reporter then follows up and asks Biden what Dr. Jill Biden thought about her husband potentially running for office again in 2024. Biden either nods or bobs his head up and down in response. Several seconds pass before the reporter speaks up, asking "Mr. President?"

Biden seemingly becomes alert when the reporter speaks, prompting the reporter to verbally react by uttering the midwestern exclamation "ope!"

Dr. Biden thinks that uh, my wife thinks that uh, that I uh, that, that we're, that we're doing something very important," Biden finally answered.

The interaction was clipped out and posted to social media by several critics, apparently highlighting what they believed to be yet another apparent gaffe from the president. One clip, from the Twitter account @RNCResearch, features a video clip that has attained over 7 million views so far.

In response to the clip, some critics said it showed Biden falling "asleep" and some even called him "Sleepy Joe," a nickname made famous by former President Donald Trump when the two were running against each other in 2020.

He [Biden] almost shut down completely there," said one critic on Twitter.

Holy s--t this is bad," said another critic on Twitter.

Another critic claimed the clip was an example of the president suffering from dementia, while others cited the possibility of Alzheimer's. The Daily Mail called the president's pause during the interview "awkward" and that his answer was "dodging" the question.

Rep. Claudia Tenney, R-N.Y., said on Fox News that she believed the clip showcased that Biden is "not competent" enough to be president of America.

Some on social media pushed back against critics of the president, either claiming the clip is being blown out of proportion, doesn't actually show what the critics are claiming, or that former President Donald Trump is a better target for criticism or concerns derived from dementia.

However, this would not be the first apparent gaffe from President Biden that critics have latched onto. Biden has made headlines repeatedly for apparent gaffes.

While speaking at the National Education Association headquarters in Washington D.C., President Biden confused many when he pointed out a woman in the crowd and said "We go back a long way. She was 12, I was 30. But anyway, this woman helped me get an awful lot done."

Some were left wondering what a 12-year-old girl could help a 30-year-old man "get done." Dementia again was suggested by critics as the culprit for the off-the-cuff remark.

Also, when speaking at the White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition & Health in September, the fact that Rep. Jackie Walorski died in a car crash in August apparently slipped President Biden's mind. He asked where she was in the crowd, which had many critics wondering why the sitting president believed a dead woman would be at his press conference.

The White House claimed at the time that Biden had Rep. Walorski "on his mind" during the conference, but did not explain why he possibly thought she was there.

Recently, President Biden also told a reporter that gas in California has always been around $7 a gallon, a claim many online mocked him for.

Add all of this to the viral video of the president struggling to put on his own coat and critics have had amble opportunity to point out and lambast America's leader for perceived gaffes.