Maybe they weren’t quite on the level of the disturbing theories about Kate Middleton’s disappearance, but some of Donald Trump’s supporters did a lot of wild speculating about why Joe Biden was running late. One theory repeated by many users on X, formerly known as Twitter, was that he needed some sort of stimulant to get him through his speech. “Had to make sure the meds kicked in and the cocktail was stable. Bet they’re sweating whether they last long enough,” one person tweeted. One user suggested that Biden had to be woken up from a nap, and another joked that he had decided to have some ice cream before leaving the White House. Several comedians even turned to toilet humor to explain why the start of his speech had to be delayed. Suggestions included diarrhea and diaper changes.
Other Biden critics opined that he was being disrespectful to the American people by showing up late, even if it was no fault of his own. “This is not how you show respect to the American people. It is also not how you reassure them you have your act together,” read one tweet. Biden’s address was further delayed because his motorcade took an alternate route to avoid the demonstrators.
But sometimes it pays to be fashionably late — when Biden arrived, he was greeted with chants of “Four more years.”
