Video: Joe Biden Appears to Doze Off While Listening to COP26 Speech, Twitter Mocks Him

Washington: Viral Video: A video has surfaced showing US President Joe Biden appearing to have fallen asleep during opening sessions at the Cop26 climate conference in Glasgow, Scotland.

The 78-year-old was caught appearing to drift in and out of sleep, in a video shared by Washington Post reporter Zach Purser Brown.

As can be seen in the video, Biden closed his eyes while listening to Eddie Ndopu, a disability rights activist, who was warning that global warming threatened "our ability to grow food and even to survive." He immediately woke himself up, however, seconds later, his eyes shut down again for a second time. An assistant then approached Biden and began whispering to him, following which he turned his head to listen momentarily before returning to the speech.

'Biden appears to fall asleep during COP26 opening speeches,' wrote The Washington Post reporter Zach Purser Brown while sharing the video on Twitter.

The video has gone viral, and 4.6 million people have watched it so far. While some people were amused and mocked the President for the gaffe, others defended him by noting his old age, and said that he was not sleeping but only just resting his eyes. One user wrote, 'He doesn't. He closed his eyes briefly. Something I do several times a day, particularly when I want to remember something specific. Or just when I want to bring full attention to something. A moment or two reset. This looks incredibly silly.'

Another user criticized him and wrote, 'I understand people defending him. A lot of us have done it but he is the most powerful man in the world. The question should be asked. Is he up for the job? His achieved amazing things & seems so kind but I would want someone else in charge. Being honest.'

Former President Donald Trump had nicknamed Biden 'Sleepy Joe' during the 2020 presidential campaign. Reacting to the video, he mocked Biden and wrote in an email blast, '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!'

Joe Biden, who will turn 79 next month, is the oldest person to serve as president of the United States. Opponents and critics have often speculated about his health and mental fitness for the office.