Video of Joe Biden Dropping Notes During Interview Sparks Debate

The moment President Joe Biden dropped his notes during an interview has sparked a debate on social media.

During an interview with CNN's Jake Tapper that was broadcast on Tuesday night, Biden said he would add a federal ban on assault weapons to his list of legislative accomplishments.

He also vowed to impose "consequences" on Saudi Arabia for its decision to cut oil production as part of an agreement with Russia.

Bu it was a moment when the president, mid-sentence, dropped notes that were resting on his knee that lit up social media.

Clips of the moment when the notes fell and Tapper reached down and grabbed the notes and handed them back to Biden, who continued talking, have circulated widely on Twitter.

Conservatives used the moment to make a point about Biden's age—at 79, he is the oldest president in U.S. history—and mental fitness to lead the country.

"Oh man. Biden so old he drops his notes," tweeted conservative political commentator Liz Wheeler.

RNC Research's Twitter account, which is managed by the Republican National Committee, shared a clip of the moment on Twitter and quoted Biden as he mixed up two of his legislative wins.

"We passed so much legislation *drops notes* that significantly makes a point about, you know, for example, the American Rescue Plan, the, the legislation to deal with inflation, I mean, the Inflation Act," the tweet said. Biden was speaking about the Inflation Reduction Act, the landmark legislation he signed into law in August.

SiriusXM host Tim Young added: "Biden literally drops his notecard with the answers on it and Tapper picks it up for him. This is embarrassing."

Steve Guest, an aide to Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, said Biden had dropped "his cheat sheet."

But others defended the president, with one Twitter user pointing out that Donald Trump also referred to notes while he was president.

It "actually very common, particularly if you're in a government position. Interviews often entail citing specific stats, names and the like pertaining to given questions. He's the president, not Taylor Swift," tweeted @TomLasby.

And a Biden ally, who spoke to Newsweek on condition of anonymity, said on Wednesday: "It's so much fun to watch Team 'Inject Bleach' or Team 'Person, Woman, Man, Camera, TV' (so many options—I can't make up my mind) fall all over themselves to see which sycophant can telegraph the most insecurity in reaction to normal practices. Remember when their boy tried to change the path of a hurricane with a magic marker? lol."

They were referring to an incident in 2019 when Trump displayed a National Weather Service forecast map of Hurricane Dorian that appeared to have been altered with a Sharpie.

Others noted that Trump, a Republican, is under federal investigation for allegedly mishandling classified documents after leaving office.

"Joe Biden dropped his interview notes," tweeted actor Brian Guest. "Donald Trump dropped a box full of stolen classified documents. Any questions?"

Alfredo Montanez, who describes himself as a "Biden/Hillary Democrat Atheist," wrote: "President Biden dropped his notes during the interview and people are freaking out. If you are freaking out over Biden dropping his notes but silent on cheeto stealing classified information then you are an a**hole."

Another Twitter user wrote: "If you're freaking out about President Biden dropping his notes during a tv interview, wait until you hear about the guy who stole nuclear secrets from the White House."

The FBI in August seized documents during a search of Trump's Mar-a-Lago home, some of them with classified markings, including at the top secret level. The Washington Post later reported that a document about a foreign government's defenses, including its nuclear capabilities, was among material stored there.

The White House has been contacted for comment.

Update 10/12/22, 9:45 a.m. ET: This article has been updated with comments from a Biden ally.