Do you remember when Donald Trump stared directly into the sun? How about when President Biden
slipped while boarding Air Force One? Keep watching for these and more uncomfortable
presidential moments caught on camera.
On December 14th, 2008, then-President George W. Bush met up with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri
al-Maliki for a news conference in Baghdad. Bush's visit came nearly six years after the
U.S. invaded Iraq to look for weapons of mass destruction. After Bush stated that the United
States' actions were necessary for "world peace," journalist Muntadhar al-Zaidi stood
up and shouted at the president in Arabic,
"This is a gift from the Iraqis; this is the farewell kiss, you dog!"
Zaidi then threw one of his shoes at Bush, who ducked.
Continuing, the journalist yelled,
"This is from the widows, the orphans and those who were killed in Iraq!"
Zaidi then hurled his other shoe at the president, who avoided that flying footwear as well.
Zaidi was tackled to the ground and removed as he screamed in protest. Bush remarked afterward:
"So what if the guy threw a shoe at me?"
In the aftermath of the event, Zaidi was sent to prison for the offense and stayed there
for nine months before being released early for good behavior. He then left the country
before later returning in 2011 and, in 2018, Zaidi officially announced that he was running
for the parliament in Iraq.
On February 10th, 2017, then-President Donald Trump sat down with Japanese Prime Minister
Shinzo Abe and shared a 19-second handshake that was truly an awkward occurrence. The
former president reportedly doesn't like to shake hands with others, which only made the
lengthy greeting even stranger. After Prime Minister Abe initiated the greeting by asking
the U.S. president, "Shall we shake hands?" President Trump was then seen patting, holding,
and yanking around the Japanese leader's hand. Still, that wasn't the only bizarre thing
about the photo-op.
As the pair shook hands, Trump asked the Japanese Prime Minister, "What are they saying?" in
reference to the Japanese-speaking photographers. The Prime Minister translated:
"Please, look at me."
Appearing to misunderstand, President Trump then began to stare at the Japanese leader,
offering him a big smile. At the same time, Prime Minister Abe gestured toward the cameras
in an attempt to point Trump in the right direction. The awkward handshake finished
with President Trump patting the back of Abe's hand before releasing him.
In March of 2021, President Joe Biden had a bit of a struggle while attempting to climb
the steps to board Air Force One. President Biden fell not once or twice but three times
before he was finally able to make his way to the top of the stairs and give a salute
before departing to meet with Asian American community leaders. After the fall, deputy
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters,
"It's very windy. I almost fell coming up the steps myself. He is doing 100% fine."
When pressed further about whether President Biden had sought medical care, Jean-Pierre
simply repeated:
"[President Biden is] doing fine. He's doing great."
On August 21st, 2017, a total solar eclipse, dubbed the Great American Eclipse, had many
Americans excited to witness the remarkable occurrence. With plenty of people eager to
get a glimpse, many scientists and public health officials were busy reminding everyone
to acquire the special protective glasses necessary for looking at the sun during the
event. Still, when it was time for President Donald Trump, his wife Melania Trump, and
their son Barron to watch the eclipse from the White House's Blue Room balcony, the former
president decided to forgo the warnings and take a peek at the sky without his protective
glasses.
While Trump didn't stare at the sun for too long, staffers nearby still gave the former
president a warning shouting, "Don't look!" as Trump squinted above and even pointed up
at the eclipse. Protective glasses were considered necessary for viewing the eclipse because
staring directly at the sun could damage your vision.
In 2015, President Barack Obama attended a United Nations luncheon and had a seemingly
tense toast with Russian President Vladimir Putin. During the event, President Obama and
President Putin, who were one seat apart, were pictured clinking their glasses with
visibly different expressions on their faces. President Obama's expression was solemn and,
in contrast, President Putin had a grin on his face. While a separate photo from the
event did appear to show the former U.S. president smiling at Putin, the actual toast definitely
looked awkward.
Similarly, an article by Vox reported that the tense image spoke for itself, with the
outlet reminding readers that the world leaders were known to have a frosty relationship and
had a history of weird photo-ops. Politico expressed a similar sentiment, noting the
pair's dislike for one another and adding that the leaders were obviously uncomfortable
with each other during the lunch. Additionally, a senior administration official told Politico
that during the duo's 90-minute meeting after the luncheon, the presidents did not pretend
that their talk was for anything beyond business, and Putin himself reported that their encounter
was "businesslike and frank."
On January 8th, 1992, then-President George H. W. Bush infamously made history for vomiting
on the Japanese Prime Minister Kiichi Miyazawa. The shocking incident occurred during the
middle of President Bush's 12-day trip through Asia while he was attending a state banquet
in Tokyo. Prior to the meal, the former president had played tennis with the Emperor of Japan.
However, it was reported that he'd already thrown up before the dinner even started,
so perhaps what happened next wasn't a big shock for the Secret Service. Between the
second and third course, President Bush pushed back his chair and fainted before his body
fell to the left, and he vomited on the lap of the host, Prime Minister Miyazawa.
Clearly stunned, the president's wife, Barbara Bush, jumped up to assist her husband as a
member of the Secret Service also rushed over to help the unconscious U.S. leader. Bush
was then laid out and soon after regained consciousness, reportedly telling his physician,
"Roll me under the table until the dinner's over."
Later, doctors claimed that the president's short-lived sickness was nothing more than
a simple stomach bug, adding that he was fine after taking anti-nausea medication and was
able to resume his scheduled plans the following day.
In 1998, then-President Bill Clinton made a baffling statement during his grand jury
testimony. In a clip, the former president questioned the meaning behind the word "is"
in regards to a false affidavit in which Monica Lewinsky stated,
"There is no sex of any kind, in any manner, shape or form with President Clinton."
Rather than give a simple reply to the question, President Clinton instead chose to give a
bizarre response, saying,
"It depends upon what the meaning of the word 'is' is."
Clinton went on to add:
"If 'is' means is and never has been, that is not — that is one thing. If it means
there is none, that was a completely true statement."
Clinton's statement that he did not have an affair with White House intern Lewinsky would
later be revealed to be completely false. Additionally, President Clinton would go on
to address the relationship with Lewinsky in a televised statement admitting that his
involvement with her was "wrong."
"Indeed I did have a relationship with Miss Lewinsky that was not appropriate. In fact,
it was wrong."
As 1998 came to an end, Clinton became the second president to be impeached. However,
he was later acquitted by a Senate trial in February of 1999.
Back on May 1, 2003, then-President George W. Bush arrived at the USS Abraham Lincoln
to give a speech on the aircraft carrier beneath a large "Mission Accomplished" banner. The
president said to the crowd:
"In the battle of Iraq, the United States and our allies have prevailed."
The crowd can be heard clapping and cheering in response to Bush's words. Many Democrats
were let down by the seemingly warm reception that Bush received during the speech and feared
that images from the event would be used for future Republican campaigning purposes. But,
of course, those worries turned out to be pointless, as the image of Bush below the
"Mission Accomplished" banner would instead become a reminder of the disfavored war that
would continue for eight more years. Even President Bush later acknowledged the mishap
during his final press conference, saying,
"Clearly, putting a 'mission accomplished' on an aircraft carrier was a mistake. It sent
the wrong message."
On March 21, 2016, then-President Barack Obama visited Havana and met with Cuban President
Raul Castro. The trip was considered extremely noteworthy as the former American leader was
the first sitting U.S. president to visit the island in 88 years. Still, despite the
historical significance, President Obama's meeting with President Castro left plenty
of people stunned for an entirely different reason, as there was a strange occurrence
between the two leaders that looked more than a little odd. Referred to as an "awkward handshake,"
the encounter showed the U.S. leader doing his best to avoid holding up his hand in solidarity
with the Cuban president, leading Castro to grab on to Obama's wrist.
While Twitter went wild commenting on the interaction, the White House had a reasonable
explanation for President Obama's behavior. White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest told
reporters:
"I do think that President Castro had in mind a rather iconic photo with President Obama
and his arms raised together."
He added that President Obama likely thought that creating such an image could suggest
false agreements between the pair. Still, Earnest stated that he didn't think Obama
expected President Castro's actions, adding,
"I think the president did observe that for an 84-year-old, President Castro still has
some pretty quick reflexes."
In late May 2017, then-President Donald Trump visited Saudi Arabia during his first foreign
trip as the U.S. leader. That Sunday, Trump attended the opening of the Global Center
for Combating Extremist Ideology along with Egypt's leader, President Abdel Fatah al-Sissi,
and Saudi Arabia's King Salman. The three world leaders touched a glowing orb during
the event, which unsurprisingly led to plenty of memes as people compared the trio to evil
supervillains plotting a takeover.
Additionally, in the aftermath of the strange event, Business Insider reported that a book
about Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman alleged that American diplomats had enjoyed playing
with the orb so much that it was gifted to the U.S. Embassy in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
However, supposedly as a result of the orb memes, the glowing sphere was put into storage
out of fear that more photos of staffers touching the orb would get out and cause further embarrassment.
On August 8, 1974, then-President Richard Nixon officially announced his resignation
to the American people, becoming the first U.S. president to do so.
"I have never been a quitter."
The nighttime address was a result of impeachment proceedings against Nixon as well as his connection
to the Watergate scandal.
"Well, I'm not a crook. I've earned everything I’ve got."
Reportedly, the public and the political backlash he was facing pushed President Nixon's decision
to relinquish the presidency. The disgraced president stated:
"By taking this action I hope that I will have hastened the start of the process of
healing which is so desperately needed in America."
The day after Nixon issued his goodbye speech, he and his family left the White House via
helicopter, with the former commander in chief raising his arms up in a final farewell. The
family then headed back to their home in San Clemente, California. Only minutes after his
departure, then-Vice President Gerald R. Ford was sworn in and became the 38th president
of the United States. After taking the oath, President Ford gave a televised national address,
saying,
"My fellow Americans, our long national nightmare is over."
Check out one of our newest videos right here! Plus, even more List videos about your favorite
stuff are coming soon. Subscribe to our YouTube channel and hit the bell so you don't miss
a single one.