Did Joe Biden sniff this baby's head? Internet goes wild over weird "faux pas"

Washington DC - A new clip of President Joe Biden has driven his critics wild, although it all seems quite harmless.

President Joe Biden caused quite a stir online after an encounter with a toddler at the Easter Egg Roll event at the White House on Monday.
President Joe Biden caused quite a stir online after an encounter with a toddler at the Easter Egg Roll event at the White House on Monday.  © Collage: Screenshot/X/RNC Research

When the leader of the free world invites guests to the annual presidential Easter party in the sprawling garden of the White House, the cameras are out in full force.

As Biden runs for his second term in office, all eyes are on the 46th president. But this time, he's been panned not for a stumble nor his age or memory, but for a seemingly kind gesture of affection.

A short clip circulating on X shows the 81-year-old welcoming children and parents to his residence's traditional Easter Egg Roll on Monday.

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But his greeting to one small girl has been seen as a presidential flop.

Did Joe Biden linger too long with a toddler guest at the Easter Egg Roll?

President Joe Biden was captured lingering with a young guest at the Easter event at the White House on Monday.
President Joe Biden was captured lingering with a young guest at the Easter event at the White House on Monday.  © Screenshot/X/RNC Research

The Easter Egg Roll is a 146-year-old tradition that sees sixty-four thousand hard-boiled eggs rolled by kids on the famed lawn, according to reports. This year it was attended by an estimated 40,000 people, the most ever, and co-hosted by First Lady Dr. Jill Biden.

A video circulated by Republican critics and an X account managed by the Republican National Committee showed Biden at the event leaning in close to a young girl being carried by her father.

Many commenters believe he appeared to be blowing her a kiss, or even sniffing the toddler's head. From other angles, it looks like the child backs away, or that the president is whispering something in her ear, as a brass band plays in the background.

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The encounter has become a feast for conservative backlash on social media.

Aside from the chatter, Biden addressed the crowd as he has every year at the event, this time from a balcony and flanked by two giant "bunnies": "Say hello to our Easter Bunnies."

"Pretty big bunny, huh?" he added of the costumed characters.

Despite also getting panned for highlighting Transgender Day of Visibility, which also fell on the same Sunday this year, the Catholic president said the religious Easter holiday "reminds us of the power of hope and the promise of Christ's resurrection."

Joe Biden will face Republican rival Donald Trump in the presidential election in November.

Cover photo: Collage: Screenshot/X/RNC Research

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