WASHINGTON — Outgoing President Biden made his first public appearance since turning 82 on Thursday, giving brief public remarks before dribbling a basketball in front of the crowd in Boston, where he won the NBA championship. -Jokingly asked the Celtics to confirm, “You're a Celtic, right?''
Biden, who celebrated his birthday on Wednesday and set a new presidential age record, spoke for about five minutes on the South Lawn as he entertained his team members, including his scandal-plagued eldest son Hunter Biden, 54, in the crowd. I was inside.
“Welcome to the White House. I didn't know any of the people behind me, but they just showed up. I don't know where the hell they came from,” Biden said as his team lined up behind the podium. He opened his mouth while referring to the members.
“The 2024 NBA champions are the Bolles. You're the Celtics, right?” he continued, looking back. “Boston Celtics”
Biden joked about his perceived mental decline that forced him to abandon the Democratic presidential nomination in July and support Vice President Kamala Harris, who lost the Nov. 5 presidential election. It is unclear whether he tried. election.
Biden told his team, which won 18 titles, that his Secret Service name was also “Celtic.” They refer to themselves as “Old Irish Celts,'' referring to their ancestry in the British Isles.
Other code names for the Biden family also begin with “C” and include the name of a hunter awaiting sentencing for gun and tax crimes known as “Chieftain.”
It is unclear whether the outgoing president will pardon his son before he leaves office on January 20th.
Biden, who had just returned Tuesday night from a week-long trip to South America where he repeatedly ignored reporters, did not take any questions from journalists again Thursday.
Biden's silence has sparked a media uproar over his decision to allow Ukraine to use U.S. rockets deep in Russia, and claims he made earlier this year posed a risk of ending U.S. democracy. Mr. Biden has remained silent on the transition to power from President-elect Donald Trump.
But after the lame-duck president was presented with a Celtics jersey with his name on it, he ran along the rope line and took several selfies.
A member of the audience threw him a basketball, and he smiled and dribbled down the White House driveway before heading back inside.
