Joe Biden lost his temper during a press conference, seeming to snap at staffers because he did not know which world leader he was supposed to be introducing next.
The US president appeared on stage with the leaders of Japan, India and Australia on Saturday as part of a two-day summit of their Quad alliance.
But when he was meant to introduce Narendra Modi, the prime minister of India, Mr Biden appeared to snap at his staffers and demanded to know: “Who’s next?”
“I want to thank you all for being here,” Mr Biden said from the stage in Wilmington, Delaware.
He added: “Now, who am I introducing next?”
Mr Biden then shouted: “Who’s next?” This was followed by several seconds of silence.
An announcer cut in to introduce Mr Modi, who approached Mr Biden and shook his hand.
Technical issues
While Mr Biden, 81, has a history of embarrassing gaffes and forgetful moments, Saturday’s hiccup appeared to be due to technical issues rather than his mental acuity.
“By the way, he’s from a small country like ours. A small population like ours,” Mr Biden then said while embracing Mr Modi, 74. “He’s become a good and decent man. A good friend.”
Home to 1.4 billion people, India is the most populous country in the world. The US is the third-most populous with 335 million.
Mr Biden has been hosting the four-nation Quad alliance ahead of next week’s United Nations General Assembly, when he will address the annual gathering of world leaders in New York.
The Quad, an informal alliance of pro-US allies in the Indo-Pacific, is made up of the US, Japan, India and Australia.
Mr Biden put a personal touch on the engagement – potentially his last with the group before he leaves office on January 20 – by opening his home in Wilmington to the leaders and hosting a joint meeting and formal dinner at the high school he attended more than 60 years ago.
On Saturday, Mr Biden announced the Quad Cancer Moonshot initiative, which has the goal of ending cancer around the world starting with cervical cancer.
He also spoke of his son Beau who died of brain cancer in 2015.
