In his most recent appearance at the UN, President Biden drew attention for shaking hands with the president of Brazil and passing by a large flag on stage. The episode heightens worries about the oldest president in American history.

As President Biden stepped onto the stage, he bumped into the enormous Brazilian flag by accident, which caused him to pause briefly while he composed himself. Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva observed his following difficulties using a translation headset and joined him for a speech on workers’ rights collaboration.

President Lula extended her hand and said, “President Biden, are you hearing me? This is a historic time for both the US and Brazil.” Although Biden nodded in agreement, he kept fumbling with the headset during President Lula’s speech—at one point, he even dropped it out of irritation.

President Biden shook hands with Director-General Gilbert Huongbo of the International Labor Organization toward the end of their speech, but it didn’t seem like he did the same with President Lula, who waved and gave an embarrassing salute before heading off stage.

President Lula gestured dismissively with his arms, clearly irritated by this apparent blunder. As President Biden prepares for his 2024 presidential candidacy, this episode has added to worries about his advanced age.

The two leaders did, however, decide to fortify their alliance, stressing their dedication to generating well-paying employment and making sure that people profit from the shift to digital and green energy, even though the seeming rejection may have cast a shadow. They added that although only the US and Brazil are now involved in the cooperation, additional countries and organizations are invited to join.

With the goal of lowering poverty and inequality, President Lula emphasized the significance of protecting workers’ rights in the face of threats to democracy around the world. Despite the unpleasant conclusion, the goal of this diplomatic meeting is to establish a new chapter in US-Brazilian relations based on equality and shared values.