Joe Biden Takes a Knee in Photo with Navy Sailors After Commissioning USS Delaware

Charlie SpieringApril 4, 2022

President Joe Biden bent down on one knee for a photo with Navy sailors after commissioning the USS Delaware submarine.

The president and his wife First Lady Jill Biden appeared at the commissioning ceremony in Delaware on Saturday.

“It’s always a good day when I get to celebrate Delaware or spend time with service members and their families or introduce Jill,” Biden cracked after taking the stage during his remarks, introducing himself as “Jill Biden’s husband.”

U.S. President Joe Biden puts on his sunglasses after after the commissioning commemoration ceremony for the Virginia-Class submarine USS Delaware at the Port of Wilmington in Wilmington, Delaware, on April 2, 2022. (BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty)

“Thank you, Mr. President,” the first lady replied after taking the podium. “I must admit, I never get tired of saying that.”

But during the class photo, the president bent down on one knee next to the First Lady who remained standing.

U.S. President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden pose with the crew after the commissioning commemoration ceremony for the Virginia-Class submarine USS Delaware at the Port of Wilmington in Wilmington, Delaware, on April 2, 2022. (BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images)

All of the sailors also stood during the photo.

It is unclear why Biden keeps taking a knee during formal photos.

The president took a knee during a photo with the Seattle Storms team as he welcomed them to the White House to celebrate their WNBA championship.

U.S. President Joe Biden holds a jersey as he poses with Seattle Storm Players during an event at the White House in Washington, DC, on August 23, 2021, to welcome the Seattle Storm and honor the team for their 2020 WNBA Championship. (JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images)

White House press secretary Jen Psaki indicated afterward that Biden taking a knee was not part of a protest, but something he had done in the past with other sports teams.

In July, Biden also took a knee while taking a photo with the Los Angeles Dodgers at the White House after celebrating their World Series victory.

U.S. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris pose for photographs with the 2020 World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers in the East Room of the White House on July 02, 2021 in Washington, DC. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Vice President Kamala Harris remained standing.

Biden also took a knee during a photo with the family of a 94-year-old Korean War veteran after awarding him the Medal of Honor in May.

South Korea’s President Moon Jae-in and US President Joe Biden pose with Army Colonel Ralph Puckett (ret.) and his family during a Medal of honor ceremony in the East Room of the White House May 21, 2021, in Washington, DC. (BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images)

It’s possible that Biden, who is six feet tall, believes he has to take a knee so that he will fit into photos. But his choice to take a knee, even as the president of the United States has confused people on social media.

During the 2020 presidential campaign, Biden intentionally took a knee as part of a message of solidarity to the Black Lives Matter movement after meeting with black activists.

But at other moments in the campaign, Biden took a knee for formal photos, leaving his campaign to clarify he was not protesting.

In October 2020, Biden inexplicably took a knee while posing for a socially distanced photo with music performers and supporters at a campaign event in Las Vegas. The incident sparked claims Biden was taking a knee in protest, prompting a host of fact-checkers to rush to his defense.

Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden poses with supporters after speaking at the East Las Vegas Community Center about the effects of Covid-19 on Latinos, October 9, 2020, in Las Vegas, Nevada. (BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images)