A video clip of President Joe Biden asking members of the Boston Celtics: "You're Celtics, right?" during a White House event has gone viral on social media.
The eight-second clip, shared on X by the account RNC Research, received 369,100 views by Friday morning. It shows a grinning Biden turning to the NBA championship-winning team to confirm their identity.
Critics of Biden, including RNC research, which is managed by Donald Trump's team and the Republican National Committee, often use similar short clips, sometimes edited without context, to suggest cognitive decline in the president.
The full video of Biden's remarks reveals he was making a joke, opening with: "Welcome to the White House," pausing, and then continuing: "I didn't know any of these guys behind me, but they just showed up. I don't know where the hell they came from," causing the audience and some of the players to laugh.
He then said: "The Balls," (possibly about to say Boston), turned again to the players and corrected himself, saying: "You're Celtics, right? The Boston Celtics," to cheers from the crowd.
Newsweek has contacted the White House and Trump's transition team via email for comment.
The Boston Celtics, who won their record 18th NBA title in June, were being honored for their achievements during the Thursday event at the White House's South Lawn.
Biden, who has just returned fro a visit to South America, said that his Secret Service codename is "Celtic," which he tied to his Irish heritage, saying: "I'm an old Irish Celtic."
In the viral eight-second clip posted by RNC Research, Biden's joke is not immediately evident, as it ends before the context of the playful exchange is clear.
The RNC Research account has previously posted similar clips to suggest confusion or disorientation on Biden's part, including a video on Monday, where it posted footage that falsely implied Biden had "wandered off" into the Amazon rainforest.
In that instance, a longer video clarified that Biden walked down an alternative path used by press members.
At Thursday's event, Biden also dribbled a basketball after being tossed one by a spectator, smiling and posing for selfies before leaving.
Biden did not take any questions from reporters after the speech.
In January, Trump will begin his second term as president and Biden will retire from politics at the age of 82.
He will have served in Washington, D.C., for decades, after first entering national politics over 50 years ago as a senator from Delaware in January 1973. He served in the Senate until 2009, when he became vice president under Barack Obama, and then president after defeating Trump in the 2020 election.
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