In a rather surprising turn of events, President Joe Biden was photographed briefly wearing a “Trump 2024” hat at a private meeting with community members inside the Shanksville Volunteer Fire Department in Pennsylvania, on the 23rd anniversary of the September 11 attacks.
A symbol of unity
The White House called Biden’s move of putting on the hat “a unity gesture, in an effort to unify Americans on a day of solemn remembrance.” Biden added at the fire station that on the day of 9/11, the country came together on a bipartisan level and wanted them to get back to that.
In a sign of goodwill, Biden had given one supporter of Trump a hat, and in return, the man asked the president to wear a Trump cap as a bit of unity. Biden did, briefly, upon honor-bound request by the firefighter.
The viral photo that stormed X
This photo went viral over social media and particularly amongst Republicans, and created a wave of responses. Of course, the Trump campaign War Room account on X wasn’t about to let a good moment slip away: it posted the image under the caption, “Thanks for the support, Joe!”
Other X users criticized Biden’s mental acuity and his continued endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee facing off against Trump in the next presidential election. “Half of me thinks that Biden is just so unaware that he doesn’t realise what’s happening,” one user said.
Others came to Biden’s defense, pointing out that he had only worn the hat briefly and out of respect. It was a unify-ing gesture on a day that was supposed to bring the Americans together in harmony. One user wrote, “Biden wore the hat to honour a fire-fighter’s request during the event. It was a gesture of unity on a day meant to bring Americans together.”
Biden and Harris join Trump at 9/11 Memorial events
Earlier in the day, Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris joined former president Donald Trump and other dignitaries at the Ground Zero ceremony in New York City, marking the 23rd anniversary of the September 11 attacks. The event included the reading of victims’ names, along with a series of tributes by families, without formal remarks by officials.
Following the event in New York, Biden and Harris further visited Pennsylvania’s Flight 93 memorial site. Later, they were seen paying their respects at the Pentagon, where a wreath was laid to honor those who lost their lives during the 2001 attacks. To commemorate the event, Biden issued a statement to remember the unity of the country after 9/11 and the resilience of the American people.
Debate performance and polls
The episode came a day after a prime-time televised presidential debate between Trump and Democratic nominee Kamala Harris, in which the Republican told his opponent: “Biden hates you.” The Trump campaign’s War Room account joked that Biden had put the cap on because “Kamala did so bad in last night’s debate.”
But neutral observers thought Trump had a bad night, seeming defensive and unprepared with an obsession with the past and personal grievances. In the aftermath of the showdown, an average of 57% of viewers said Harris turned in the better debate performance across three national polls conducted on ABC; only 34% said Trump came out on top.
