Editor’s note: This story has been updated with additional video footage.
President Joe Biden was seen waving to skydivers at a G7 event in Italy in a video posted to social media, but critics jumped on another video that didn’t clearly show the additional details and that showed Biden appearing to distance himself from the group of world leaders.
In footage broadcast by MSNBC and shared on X by White House Senior Deputy Press Secretary Andrew Bates, Biden can be seen giving a thumbs up and gesturing to a group of skydivers before Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni gets Biden’s attention and world leaders again gather around him.
Other videos posted to social media, which did not show all of the skydivers, were used by Biden’s critics to repeat conservative claims questioning the president’s mental state in an election year.
A White House spokesman clarified that the video footage did not show the direction the president was heading.
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Here’s what you need to know about Biden’s video from the G7 summit.
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White House denounces ‘right-wing propaganda’
Bates blamed “right-wing propaganda” for misrepresenting the video in several posts about X.
“He congratulates one of the divers and gives him a thumbs up,” Bates explained on X. In the original video, which went viral on social media, a uniformed figure could be seen in the bottom corner preparing a parachute.
What is the G7 Summit?
The G7 alliance, known as the G7, is made up of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States.
The annual summit will be held in Italy’s Puglia region from Thursday to Saturday.
Biden is also due to meet with other leaders including Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who appeared in the skydiving video, British Chancellor Rishi Sunak, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
The European Union is also taking part in the G7 Summit discussions.
Biden signs Ukraine security pact at G7 summit
On the first day of this year’s G7 summit, Biden signed a deal pledging military support to Ukraine in its war with Russia for the next decade, but the pact could fall apart if Donald Trump is elected in November.
Friday’s agenda included immigration and economic security, with Pope Francis also leading a discussion on artificial intelligence, according to Reuters.
China is also likely to be high on the agenda. The summit concludes on Saturday, but Biden will skip a final scheduled news conference on Saturday and is due to depart on Friday evening.
Article contributed by Reuters
