(Scypre.com) – President Joe Biden briefly donned a “Trump 2024” hat during a visit to a fire station in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, on Wednesday, sparking a series of playful but tense exchanges with a supporter of the former president.
The moment unfolded as Biden mingled with first responders while commemorating the 23rd anniversary of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. A TikTok video captured the incident where Biden offered to trade hats with a Trump supporter, who was wearing a red “Trump 2024” cap. In good humor, the Trump backer agreed, but not without mocking the president first.
“I’ll give you my presidential hat,” Biden said, pointing out its presidential seal. The Trump supporter, donning Punisher suspenders, demanded Biden sign the hat, to which the president complied. The Trump supporter continued to poke fun, asking, “Do you remember your name?” Biden, 81, responded jokingly, “I don’t remember my name. I’m slow.”
The playful jabs escalated when the supporter called Biden an “old fart,” to which the president agreed, acknowledging, “I’m an old guy.” In response to further taunts from the supporter, Biden quipped back, saying, “I know you would know about that,” referencing the man’s balding appearance.
Despite the heated banter, Biden eventually placed the Trump hat over his own, appeasing the crowd. The Trump supporter, satisfied, declared, “I’m proud of you now, you old fart.” As Biden moved on, he left the conversation with a bizarre comment: “Just remember, no eating dogs and cats,” which led to the supporter strangely comparing their taste to “Kentucky Fried Chicken.”
Footage of the lighthearted moment circulated quickly, with the Trump-Vance campaign sharing it online. The White House confirmed the exchange, saying Biden wore the hat “in the spirit of bipartisanship.” Andrew Bates, the White House senior deputy press secretary, reiterated this on social media, stating that Biden had been promoting the country’s bipartisan unity, especially in remembrance of 9/11.
The Trump camp, however, was quick to capitalize on the incident. “Kamala did so bad in last night’s debate, Joe Biden just put on a Trump hat,” the Trump War Room account posted online, reversing footage to suggest Biden put on the hat as an endorsement.
Biden’s visit to Shanksville wasn’t just about politics. He had earlier participated in a wreath-laying ceremony at the Flight 93 National Memorial, honoring the passengers and crew who thwarted Al Qaeda hijackers from crashing the plane into a high-profile target in Washington, D.C. The small town of Shanksville, located in a heavily Republican county, saw over 77% of its voters support Trump in the 2020 election.
The incident comes shortly after a debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and Trump, in which Trump joked about sending Harris one of his “Make America Great Again” hats, claiming she had adopted many of his ideas. Trump said during the debate, “I was going to send her a ‘MAGA’ hat. She’s going to my philosophy.” Biden, who dropped out of the 2024 race in July, has previously accused Trump of being a threat to American democracy. In 2022, Biden declared, “Donald Trump and the MAGA Republicans represent an extremism that threatens the very foundations of our republic.”