During a perplexing culmination to a worldwide press briefing in Hanoi, Vietnam, initially intended to round off the G20 summit discussions held in New Delhi, President Joe Biden displayed an unusual candor. Towards the closure of the event, he abruptly noted his intention to retire for the night, a statement followed promptly by aides concluding the conference, possibly in a bid to guide him away from the spotlight.
There was speculation — given Biden’s apparent fatigue or, as reported by Mediaite, a reaction to a query about the prioritization of the U.S.’ strategic concerns over human rights issues — concerning the exact reason which propelled White House Press Secretary Karine Jean Pierre to wrap up the session.
In a discourse that spanned about 20 minutes, Biden’s conversation veered into unusual directions, touching upon topics such as “John Wayne,” “cowboys,” and “Indians.” At certain junctures, his remarks took a strange turn, as he mused on fears surrounding global warming surpassing a rise of 1.5 degrees within the upcoming decade, seemingly surpassing the fear instilled by a potential nuclear conflict. Approaching the conclusion of the briefing, Biden remarked candidly, “I don’t know about you, but I’m going to go to bed.”
Shortly thereafter, the conversation turned towards Chinese Premier Li Qiang, who represented the Chinese leader Xi Jinping at the G20 summit. When questioned about his interaction with Li Qiang, Biden recounted, “We discussed the prevalent themes at the conference. Our conversation centered on stability and facilitating transformative opportunities for the Southern Hemisphere.” He denied any confrontational undertones during their interaction, even though his account was somewhat fragmented and punctuated with pauses.
However, this dialogue was abruptly halted by Jean Pierre, who intervened with a swift closure, expressing gratitude to the attendees over the public address system. This seemed to catch Biden off-guard, leaving him momentarily befuddled as he echoed her words of thanks, marking an abrupt end to the unusual press conference.
