- Rebel forces toppled the Assad regime in Syria over the weekend
- It’s believed that captured U.S. freelance journalist Austin Tice is still alive in Syria
President Joe Biden went completely blank when he forgot on the spot who he was talking about.
Just seconds after saying it’s believed that U.S. Journalist Austin Tice, who was kidnapped while reporting in Syria on August 13, 2012, is alive, Biden didn’t remember who he was talking about.
The ‘senior moment’ came at the end of quick remarks on Sunday where the president praised the fall of the Assad regime in Syria.
Biden was leaving the room when he hesitated and turned around when he heard the question: ‘What does the U.S. know about where Austin Tice might be, and if he’s safe?’
‘We believe he’s alive,’ Biden said. ‘We think we can get him back but we have no direct evidence of that yet.’
‘And Assad has to be held accountable,’ he insisted.
Right after, another reporter asked: ‘Have you directed an operation to go get him, Mr. President?’
‘Get who?’ a very confused Biden replied, even though it was clearly a follow-up about Tice.
President Joe Biden had a major brain freeze on Sunday when he forgot who he was talking about just second after answering a reporter’s question about kidnapped Marine Corps veteran and freelance journalist Austin Tice
‘Austin Tice,’ they reminded the president.
Looking lost, Biden stumbled over his words.
‘We want him out. We have to identify where he is,’ he assured before leaving the room and shutting the door behind him.
Biden, 82, only has just over 40 days left in his single-term presidency until President-elect Donald Trump is inaugurated for his second, non consecutive term.
Speculation has swirled for most of Biden’s time in office that he is not fit to serve as president and critics claim his mental fitness has declined with his old age.
That decline was on full display during Biden’s less than nine-minute remarks after rebels toppled the Assad regime, causing the leader to flee to Russia and widespread celebrations for Israel and its supporters.
Tice is a Marine Corps veteran who was working as a freelance journalist in Syria when he was kidnapped more than 12 years ago.
He was freelancing for McClatchy, The Washington Post, CBS and other media when he was abducted from Darayya, Syria.
Biden delivered remarks at the White House on Sunday, December 8 after Syrian rebels announced that they ousted leader Bashar al-Assad and toppled his regime
Austin Tice was kidnapped in Syria in 2012. A video was released of Tice blindfolded and bound just a month after he disappeared in Darayya, Syria
In September 2012, a month after he disappeared, his captors released a 47-second video of Tice blindfolded and bound.
Another month later, a U.S. spokesperson said it was believed that Tice was in the custody of the Syrian government though no group or entity in the Middle Eastern nation said it was holding him.
As recently as May 3, 2024, which is World Press Freedom Day, Biden stated that Tice remained a hostage in Syria.
