Joe Biden had a troubling day in Vietnam on Sunday during a press conference. Although he was only answering five questions from preselected reporters, the president had trouble even speaking at points. He rambled on about "dog-faced pony soldiers" in a bizarre story, insulted the Southern Hemisphere, and said he had to go to bed. Then his staff pulled the plug on the presser and played music over his last few remaining words so people wouldn't be able to hear any further rambling. 

His trip to Vietnam also raised another problem. Being there meant he wasn't going to get back for any 9/11 recognition ceremonies in NYC, Shanksville, PA, or Washington, D.C. That was bad enough, but his excuse was awful too, saying that "22 years after Pearl Harbor, U.S. Presidents were not still going to visit Hawaii," according to Fox's Peter Doocy. That's incredibly insulting and dismissive of the day.  

But on top of that, on the anniversary of such a terrible attack on America, he was in Vietnam, thanking the Vietnamese for their sentiments. I can't begin to say how discordant that seems. 

BIDEN (in Vietnam): "Thank you for your sentiments and concern for those we lost on 9/11. I'll be going from here to Alaska to speak to several thousand of our troops in Alaska. I'm not gonna be able to get back to the site where it occurred..." pic.twitter.com/uR5sJscvwZ

— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) September 11, 2023

He's not "able to get back" because he didn't plan to be able to get back. Had he wanted to, he could have. But being in Vietnam on the day was a little much. 

On top of that, Biden went to visit  the "McCain Memorial." 

Pres. Biden visits John McCain memorial in Hanoi Vietnam pic.twitter.com/f2fqyRPPzs

— Howard Mortman (@HowardMortman) September 11, 2023

First, he seemed old and out of it. He put his hands on the wreath as though he thought he was supposed to pick it up and place it somewhere. At one point he leaned down close to the monument and left a coin. He said he missed the late Sen. John McCain, whom he called his "friend." Some claimed he was "kissing" the monument, but the pool report said he was leaving the coin. 

But what wasn't being said, and I'm not sure Biden even understood, was that this was a monument recognizing the capture of McCain at that lake. The figure on the monument is on his knees with his hands up. You can see it in the video and the picture above. 

This is what it said: 

“On 26 October 1967 at Trúc Bạch Lake, Hanoi’s people and armed forces captured U.S. Naval Air Force Lieutenant Commander John Sidney McCain who flew the A-4 aircraft shot down at the Yen Phu power plant. His was one of ten planes shot down that day.”

This is what it looked like. There was something erected in 1967, then changes/updates were added later. 

The actual "McCain Memorial" from the front and not the BS angle they took the video from. The statue erected in 1985 was NOT to honor McCain but to celebrate his captors. Note him on his knees with hands raised and the missile going through USAF and it falling to the ground. pic.twitter.com/hMLInkFFy2

— Eric Schwalm (@Schwalm5132) September 11, 2023

How has this gotten turned into a "memorial" for someone like Biden to recognize?

But this is what Biden was doing on 9/11 rather than being at one of the memorial sites.