Rishi Sunak has thrown support behind US President Joe Biden after social media users and critics accused him of "wandering off" during this week's G7 summit.
Both world leaders were present during a spectacular parachute display this week in Italy, during which, jumpers glided back to the ground bearing flags of each country.
However, the impressive moment was lost on social media, as critics of 81-year-old POTUS Joe Biden accused him of "wandering off" shortly after the display had concluded.
Videos shared on X (and other social media platforms), appeared to show Biden walking away from the group, before being pulled back in by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni for a photo op.
As previously reportedly, political commentator Collin Rugg described the video as a "clown show", and wrote alongside the video: "President Biden appears to start wandering off at the G7 summit and has to be handled back in.
"Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni was seen grabbing Biden to bring him back to the group."
With countless other critics bashing Biden, White House press secretary Andrew Bates defended the president's actions, accusing the media of a "desperate" attempt to distract from Biden's diplomatic efforts.
Bates highlighted that Biden had engaged with the skydivers and congratulated them, emphasizing the positive aspect of the event - and that videos circulating online using a "narrow frame" to distort what was really going on.
"He's saying congratulations to one of the divers and giving a thumbs up," Bates confirmed.
Now, UK PM Rishi Sunak has also confirmed that Biden was simply speaking with a parachutist.
Per The Mirror, Sunak was asked about if Biden was okay, to which, he swiftly replied: "Yes. I think he went to go talk to the pilot. I mean, or the parachutist. From what I remember, because he went to go and shake all their hands."
Sunak added: "He was being very polite. And he just went over to kind of talk to all of them individually and Giorgia (Meloni) was saying ‘Don't worry, they're all coming to [us]’.
"We were meant to line up so they could come and then shake all our hands." He added: "I had a chat with a guy with the British flag. Everyone wanted to. But they all came to us."
Throughout the event in Italy, Meloni has taken a proactive role in managing the proceedings. She personally welcomed each leader to the luxurious venue on the Apulian coast and ensured they were positioned correctly for the group photos after cordial exchanges, the Daily Mail reports.
The G7 summit has been pivotal, focusing on critical discussions such as directing resources to Ukraine from frozen Russian assets, collaborative efforts on infrastructure development, and a decade-long commitment from the U.S. to bolster Ukrainian security.
