Yes, this is real, and X is going nuts over it.
During an address in Shanksville, Pa., to commemorate the September 11th attacks that occurred 23 years ago today (Shanksville being where Flight 93 crashed after passengers heroically tried to take control of the plane back from the hijackers), Joe Biden briefly put on a Trump 2024 hat at the request of one of the firefighters attending the speech.
According to the Daily Mail, the White House has clarified that this was not an endorsement of Trump but rather a demonstration of how 9/11 unites us regardless of political party and that such bipartisanship needs to be rekindled, even if only for today.
I will not comment on how much Biden's handlers have been doing the exact opposite, but I am willing to accept that explanation.
After all, just hours before, Biden, Harris, Trump, and JD Vance all attended the same commemoration ceremony at Ground Zero in New York City, where Trump and Harris shook hands, letting the tragedy of 9/11 take precedence over their hostility for a brief moment.
So, if anything, I find it kind of touching that Biden put on that hat, and that explanation would make the most sense.
Still, as mentioned, X is going loco over it. Some on the right suggest it means Biden did it because he hates Kamala and is mad he was forced out of the 2024 campaign, while some on the left refuse to accept it is real and are calling it fake.
Here are some of those examples, including one from my favorite account on X, Libs of TikTok:
I do not put much stock into what Rogan O'Handley, AKA DC Draino, says, but he is one of the lead people saying Biden did it to spite Kamala:
As I said, I am willing to accept what Andrew Bates said about Biden putting on the hat as a gesture of bipartisan unity on 9/11, and it is an explanation I would prefer hearing. Still, its significance is clearly not lost on anyone watching.
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After all, Biden was all but forced to drop out of the 2024 Election after his horrible debate performance against Trump at the end of June, and Kamala just had ABC all but do the debating for her last night because she couldn't do it herself.
Thus, it is easy to assume that Biden secretly put on the hat out of spite for his replacement.
You know the memes leading into November are going to get even spicier.
UPDATE Sept. 11, 2024, 6 p.m. ET:
A longer video of the incident has appeared online, which shows Biden placing the hat on his head in a good-natured manner:
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