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The truth behind Joe Biden's GHOST handshake may not be that 'demented' at all

Political adversaries poked fun at the air handshake, but some argued the gesture was simply an acknowledgment of some individuals in the crowd

President Joe Biden was heavily mocked after he appeared to shake hands with literally no one following a speech at a North Carolina university on Thursday, April 14. However, many have defended him saying it was simply a gesture to the crowds. 

The 79-year-old POTUS had just finished speaking at the North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University in Greensboro when he turned towards stage right with his arm outstretched in a handshake position. Footage from the event showed there was no one else on stage and nobody had approached Biden on stage to exchange the pleasantry. Political adversaries, such as Republican Senator Ted Cruz, poked fun at the air handshake, but some believe the gesture wasn't as "demented" as it was made out to be.

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As Biden was mocked and taunted once again over his cognitive health following the incident, many, including critics of his, defended him saying he was simply "acknowledging" some people in the crowd.

"Nope! He was acknowledging a few individuals in the audience, then paying a few moments of respect to the flag ... then gracefully walking off. It is amazing how the same thing can be viewed in different ways!" one tweeted.

"I’m not a Biden fan but he’s clearly gesturing to someone in the crowd," another wrote.

"I’m all for dunking on Biden but he wasn’t shaking hands with nobody, he was just gesturing with his hands to acknowledge the crowds. Dont be reachin’," a comment read.

"Not every hand gesture is an attempted handshake btw. Especially when it's done in the direction of a crowd," someone else added.

"Is it just me who thinks he clearly just acknowledging the people behind him on the left and right of the stage before he exits?" one offered.

"Yeah, sorry, this looks much more like he was gesturing to where he thought someone who was going to take over was supposed to be. Either that person had moved or he misremembered their mark. Yes, he still looks confused, but you're WAY overblowing this clip, IMHO," another chimed in.

Biden visited Greensboro and spoke at the North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University as part of a campaign to force Congress to approve the Bipartisan Innovation Act, which reportedly offers to fund for domestic production of semiconductors. The president once again blamed the record-high inflation and gas prices on Russian President Vladimir Putin. "What people don't know is that 70 per cent of the increase in inflation was the consequence of Putin's Price Hike," he claimed. According to the latest figures from the Labor Department, inflation soared to a 41-year high of 8.5 per cent in March. Meanwhile, the Consumer Price Index increased 1.2 per cent in March from the previous month. 

Meanwhile, Biden also bizarrely claimed that he used to be a "full professor" at the University of Pennsylvania. "I've been at a lot of university campuses, matter of fact for four years, I was a full professor at the University of Pennsylvania," he told the audience. It's worth noting that the university named Biden as the Benjamin Franklin Presidential Practice Professor, the first to hold the position, in 2017. According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Delaware Democrat did not teach regular classes and only made about a dozen public appearances on the campus for notable events. Nonetheless, he collected full paychecks in 2017, 2018, and early 2019. In fact, Biden reportedly minted almost $1 million from the university despite his vague role and teaching no regular classes.