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Former President Joe Biden drew attention and ridicule online this week after sharing a Christmas Eve family photo in which he appeared nearly hidden behind other relatives, prompting social media users to ask a simple question: “Where’s Joe?”
The 83-year-old Democrat posted the image on X late Tuesday, writing, “Wishing you a peaceful and joyful Christmas Eve filled with love.” The photo showed Biden standing with seven family members in front of a Christmas tree — but his face was barely visible, obscured behind former First Lady Jill Biden and partially blocked by other relatives.
Front and center in the shot were Hunter Biden and his daughter Maisy, both positioned prominently in the middle of the frame. Biden’s daughter Ashley, Hunter’s wife Melissa Cohen, and two additional grandchildren completed the group.
The composition — which seemed to relegate the former president to the background — quickly went viral, drawing mockery and speculation across social media platforms.
“Took me a while to find ya, champ,” one user quipped, sharing a zoomed-in version of Biden’s partially obscured face. Another asked bluntly, “Where’s Joe?” Others wondered whether the placement was symbolic of Biden’s diminished public role since leaving office.
Fox News’ Charlie Hurt commented on the family Christmas photo: “It was either a screwup or an effort by even the family to make Joe Biden disappear.”
Media commentator Joe Concha responded, ““It’s as if Hunter Biden is running the family. He’s in the middle. Joe should be in the middle – instead, he’s like an uncle who tried to sneak in at the last second. I almost feel sorry for the guy that he’s relegated to that.”
The photo also reignited conversations about Biden’s health. The former president was diagnosed earlier this year with prostate cancer that has spread to his bones, and his public appearances have become increasingly rare.
Biden, who became the oldest person ever to serve as president, faced mounting pressure from his own party last year to step aside from his reelection campaign after a widely panned debate performance against President Donald Trump raised new doubts about his mental sharpness. He formally withdrew from the race several weeks later.
The Christmas photo, intended as a warm family moment, instead fueled a wave of online commentary reflecting Biden’s changed political fortunes. Some supporters offered sympathy and well wishes for his health, while critics mocked what they viewed as an unintentional metaphor for his decline in prominence.
“Hard to imagine a more fitting image,” one commentator wrote. “Hidden behind his family, forgotten by his party, and fading from public view.”
Neither Biden nor his family have publicly commented on the social media reaction.
The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform earlier released a report alleging that top aides to former President Joe Biden concealed his cognitive and physical decline and, in some instances, exercised presidential authority without his direct approval.
The 54-page report, titled “The Biden Autopen Presidency: Decline, Delusion, and Deception in the White House,” claims that as Biden’s health deteriorated, senior staffers—including Dr. Kevin O’Connor, Annie Tomasini, and Anthony Bernal—took control of key decisions, used the presidential autopen to authorize executive actions, and failed to properly document official processes.
Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) said the findings point to “one of the biggest political scandals in U.S. history,” asserting that “executive actions performed by Biden White House staff and signed by autopen are null and void.”
