Videos of President Joe Biden playfully biting several costumed babies at the White House Halloween party have gone viral on social media.
The Halloween event transformed the White House South Lawn into a lively setting with decorations and activities for families, local students, and children of military families.
While Jill Biden, wearing a full-body panda suit, handed out copies of the children’s book 10 Spooky Pumpkins, President Biden greeted a line of children and parents and distributed candy in signature White House wrappers.
Photographers and videographers captured moments of Biden bending down to interact with the children, including playfully biting the leg of a baby dressed as a turkey.
The president also put the toe of a child in an ice cream cone costume in his mouth and nibbled at a third baby wearing a blue dress.
Newsweek has contacted the White House via email for comment.
Joe Biden bites a baby at the White House Halloween party, Washington D.C., on October 30, 2024. The moment has gone viral on social media.
Ben Curtis/ASSOCIATED PRESS
The scenes drew sharp reactions from conservative influencers on social media, questioning its appropriateness.
Conservative commentator Benny Johnson, whom the Department of Justice recently alleged was unwittingly paid by Russian state media to produce Kremlin sympathetic content, reposted an image of Biden biting the baby in the turkey costume.
“Apparently Joe Biden is biting babies at The White House this evening,” he wrote. His post had been viewed 740,000 times by Thursday morning.
Johnson has strongly denied any wrongdoing over the allegedly Kremlin-sympathetic content and has described himself as a “victim” of the purportedly Moscow-backed scheme.
Jenna Ellis, a suspended lawyer who used to work for Donald Trump and who pleaded guilty to “aiding and abetting false statements” in an attempt to overturn Joe Biden‘s 2020 victory in Georgia, posted an article of Biden biting a baby on X, writing: “How is this real?”
Kylie Jane Kremer, one of the organizers of the “Save America” rally on January 6, 2021, which turned into a violent riot to try and stop the certification of Biden’s victory, wrote that somebody should call the police on the president, writing on X: “Someone call 911 immediately JOE BIDEN JUST BIT A SECOND BABY AT THE WHITE HOUSE This is NOT a joke. He stuck this second child’s foot in his mouth three times!”
At Wednesday night’s event, Jill Biden added an educational twist with a Halloween-themed storytelling session.
The decorations featured stacks of books, a large orange moon, and various fall-themed displays that adorned the South Lawn. The fountain was dyed green for the occasion.
Other highlights included appearances by Disney‘s Lilo and Stitch characters, Darth Vader, and a candy-filled motorcade courtesy of the presidential limousine.
Other attendees included Secretary of State Antony Blinken and White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, who both brought their children.
