US President Joe Biden has yet again discovered himself in the spotlight after a clip of him apparently snoozing during the COP26 summit went viral.
The 46th president, who is set to turn 79 in a couple of weeks, was recorded with his eyes closed for more than 15 seconds before an aide approached him and whispered something into his ear. Given his administration's climate action aspirations, many immediately blasted Biden for "falling asleep" during a major climate summit.
Biden's predecessor in the White House, Donald Trump, was predictably quick to join in the criticism.
"Even Biden couldn’t stand hearing so much about the Global Warming Hoax, the 7th biggest Hoax in America [...]", Trump wrote in a statement on Telegram. "Biden went to Europe saying Global Warming is his highest priority, and then promptly fell asleep, for all the world to see, at the Conference itself. Nobody that has true enthusiasm and belief in a subject will ever fall asleep!"
One user sarcastically suggested that the aide only approached Biden in order to wake him up, not tell him something actually important.
Many Trump supporters, including former employees of his administration like ex-White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany and former legal adviser Jenna Ellis, also took to Twitter to mock yet another "Sleepy Joe" moment.
The incident swifly inspired memes and edits, fuelling another round of the "Let's Go Brandon" euphemism - a line that is now synonymous with "F**k Joe Biden".
However, many people defended the US president, arguing that his sudden weariness could have been caused by long hours of work or jet lag. Particularly, NBC News senior White House reporter Kelly O’Donnell referred to Biden's busy schedule when commenting on the incident, admitting nevertheless that moments like this "are seen and scrutinised regardless of all of the circumstances".