Biden Phones It In For Big Address (& You Probably Missed The Smoking Gun)

President Joe Biden finally addressed the nation on July 24 following his stunning announcement that he would "stand down" as the Democratic nominee in the 2024 presidential election. Throughout the 11-minute speech, Biden professed his love for the United States, called for unity, defended his presidency, and even noted that his track record was indeed worthy a second term but was careful to point out that personal ambition should never supersede the preservation of democracy. "I have decided the best way forward is to pass the torch to a new generation," Biden declared. "That is the best way to unite our nation." Alas, for those looking for the president to give a specific reason as to why he had seemingly decided to change course so suddenly, they didn't get it.

Still, while many were criticizing Biden for essentially phoning it in for his big address, one X user couldn't help but point out the smoking gun that many viewers probably missed. "It's already a ripoff look carefully, Biden is reading from a teleprompter not from his heart...," the user tweeted along with a close up of the video wherein it appears a teleprompter is going full steam ahead in the reflection of the glass window behind the famous Resolute desk. 

It's already a ripoff look carefully, Biden is reading from a teleprompter not from his heart... pic.twitter.com/4KLMT8SzAc

— Matthew Ferreira | MassachusettsWx (@MassachusettsWx) July 25, 2024

As you may recall, this is not the first time President Joe Biden has been criticized for his use of teleprompters. Many of Biden's teleprompter fails proved to be downright embarrassing, and some have caused him to slip up on his words. Back in April, Biden raised eyebrows while delivering a speech at a trade union conference in Washington, D.C. "Imagine what we could do next," Biden said before effectively letting the teleprompter cat out of the bag. "Four more years, PAUSE." Ruh roh.

As one can imagine, Biden's 2024 debate behavior raised the biggest red flag yet about not only his health but his use of the teleprompter as well. Biden's staff, however, staunchly defended the president's use of the device. "Look, it is not unusual for a president to use a teleprompter. It isn't. It is not unusual. That is something that presidents have done in the past," White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre maintained during a July 3 press briefing.

Teleprompter or not, however, many have applauded Biden's July 24 oval office address. Ironically, following President Biden's Oval Office address, author Stephen King and film executive Franklin Leonard penned identical tweets that read, "Hell of a speech."