On Wednesday, President Joe Biden took a tour of General Motors’ Factory Zero plant, which the automotive giant recently renovated as part of its plan to shift from gas- and diesel-powered vehicles to electric vehicles.
The visit was another stop on Biden’s $1.3 trillion infrastructure bill victory tour, according to The Detroit News, and GM helped him celebrate by giving him a look around the facilities and even letting him test drive a prototype EV Hummer.
Unfortunately, Biden was his usual befuddled self and had a difficult time following directions despite saying vaguely that he knew he had to “take orders.”
“Gotta take orders”.
— Benny (@bennyjohnson) November 18, 2021
In a clip posted to Twitter, the president is asked by a guide who appears to be GM CEO Mary Barra to stand on a blue marker. “I gotta stand on the blue marker, huh? I gotta take orders,” Biden says before clearly walking right past the designated spot.
Barra’s eyes convey nervous anxiety as she flashes a “help me!” glance at one of the Secret Service agents attending to the wayward president, who is getting dangerously close to the factory equipment.
This is not the first time the president has proved himself about as easy to herd as a 2-year-old. It’s not even the first time Biden — the president of the United States — has acknowledged that he’s got orders to obey.
Mercifully, his Hummer test drive appears to have gone off without a hitch:
President Biden test drives a new GM electric Hummer after factory tour in Detroit. pic.twitter.com/uWbQGNoncH
— The Hill (@thehill) November 17, 2021
Biden’s factory faux pas is par for the course for the poor Secret Service agents tasked with directing his movements when he’s allowed out in public.
He’s been caught on camera before looking completely unaware that someone is telling him where to walk:
President Biden returns to the White House after spending time in Wilmington, Delaware pic.twitter.com/RopGCgStGR
— The Hill (@thehill) August 10, 2021
His handlers have been seen desperately trying to herd him away from reporters despite his own feeble efforts to field their questions:
Come along now…don't get distracted by the reporters… pic.twitter.com/MlaLU9XiFF
— Charlie Spiering (@charliespiering) June 25, 2021
Interestingly, despite Biden’s clear difficulty following directions, he seems quite aware that he’s being given them — he’s said on more than one occasion that he’ll “get in trouble” if he speaks with the media for too long, and there are rumors that his staff has a special protocol for shielding him from questions.
This, of course, has all gone on while Biden frequently fumbles over his words, forgets things that have just happened, and totally blanks on his own Cabinet members’ names.
More and more, Biden is looking like a liability not only to the people tasked with keeping him on track but to the nation as a whole.
What’s going on?