A viral image showing President Joe Biden wearing a ‘Trump 2024’ hat at a private gathering in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, has ignited a firestorm on social media. The photo, captured during a 9/11 memorial event, was widely circulated, drawing varied reactions, especially from Republicans. The timing of the image’s release, just after the second presidential debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and Donald Trump, added fuel to the online debate.
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The Trump campaign quickly seized the moment. The official Trump War Room account on X (formerly Twitter) shared the image with the caption, “Thanks for the support, Joe!” This was an obvious attempt to portray the moment as an endorsement of Trump’s 2024 run, even though the context of the photo was different.
On X, opinions were split. One user joked, “Biden is just so unaware that he doesn’t realize what’s happening.” Another referenced Trump’s debate remark about sending a MAGA hat to Kamala Harris, noting the irony of Biden donning a ‘Trump 2024’ hat. However, others offered a more nuanced explanation of the situation.
According to attendees, Biden’s hat moment happened during his visit to the Shanksville Fire Station. During his speech, Biden called for a return to the bipartisan unity the country experienced after 9/11. In a symbolic gesture, he gave a hat to a Trump supporter, who then asked Biden to wear a ‘Trump 2024’ hat in the same spirit of unity. Biden briefly wore the hat, honoring the request, as a gesture of goodwill.
Some criticized Biden’s decision to wear the hat, while others defended him, emphasizing that it was a brief sign of respect. A user pointed out, “Biden wore the hat to honor a firefighter’s request during the event. It was a gesture of unity on a day meant to bring Americans together.”
Videos and photos of the moment quickly went viral, leading to a surge of commentary online. Some noted that this unusual incident came just after Trump and Harris clashed in a heated presidential debate. During the debate, Trump had taken shots at Harris, even joking about sending her a MAGA hat. “Biden just put on a Trump 2024 campaign cap. This is not a joke… he really did,” said one user on social media. Another wrote, “Biden put on a ‘Trump 2024’ hat at an event where a group was playfully joking with him about his age and senility.”
The Trump campaign continued to capitalize on the situation, posting that Biden wore the cap because “Kamala did so bad in last night’s debate.” They added, “Thanks for the support, Joe!” in another post.
In response, the White House defended the President’s actions. White House spokesperson Andrew Bates explained, “At the Shanksville Fire Station, @POTUS 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, POTUS should put on his Trump cap. He briefly wore it.”
The debate itself saw Harris and Trump sparring over issues like abortion, immigration, and healthcare. Harris was widely regarded as the winner by a majority of observers and polls, including a CNN poll where 63% said Harris performed better compared to 37% for Trump. Harris called Trump a “disgrace” and criticized his “same old, tired playbook” of lies and grievances, contrasting sharply with Biden’s brief moment of bipartisan unity in Shanksville.
