In an unexpected turn of events, President Joe Biden was photographed wearing a “Trump 2024” hat during a visit to Shanksville, Pennsylvania, on the anniversary of the September 11 attacks.
The incident, which occurred at the Shanksville Fire Station, quickly went viral on social media, drawing reactions ranging from surprise to jubilation among Trump supporters.
White House spokesperson Andrew Bates tried to dismiss the significance of the event.
“At the Shanksville Fire Station, President Joe Biden spoke about the country’s bipartisan unity after 9/11 and said we needed to get back to that. As a gesture, he gave a hat to a Trump supporter who then said that in the same spirit, (Biden) should put on his Trump cap. He briefly wore it,” Bates claimed.
The Trump campaign’s War Room rapid reaction account on X (formerly Twitter) was quick to capitalize on the moment, quipping, “Kamala did so bad in last night’s debate, Joe Biden put on Trump hat.”
In another post, they added, “Thanks for the support, Joe!”
Trump supporters expressed their delight on social media. One user wrote, “Sleepy Joe, welcome aboard the Trump Train!!!!” while another commented, “Finally hopped on board!”
During the debate, Trump had claimed, “Biden hates you,” referring to Harris.
This led one social media user to remark, “See, Trump was right. Joe Biden does hate Kamala Harris.”
The incident occurred just a day after the presidential debate between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris, adding to the surprise.
Joe Biden just put on a Trump 2024 campaign cap. This is not a joke… he really did. 🙈 pic.twitter.com/p1XLFRamwR
— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) September 11, 2024
Take a look for yourself —
I watched this longer clip & it only gets worse for Kamala
The man in the Trump hat didn’t take it off and tell Joe to wear it
Joe looked at him & said “I need that hat”, put it on, and smiled for the cameras
Direct hit on Kamala
No other explanation
pic.twitter.com/WpyWTdcnA3— DC_Draino (@DC_Draino) September 12, 2024
Despite the social media frenzy, the White House insists that the gesture was about promoting unity. The incident occurred right after Biden, Harris, and Trump all attended a 9/11 memorial services in New York and Pennsylvania.