Any questions regarding what President Joe Biden looks like without his shirt on were answered when beach photos leaked onto the internet.
While debate regarding Biden’s age reached an all-time high in 2024, it was a major topic of conversation in August 2023.
This is when the images were released and poured gasoline on an already raging inferno.
Unlike former President Donald Trump, who has done everything possible to conceal images of his shirtless body (aside from one photo he posted on X), Biden clearly has cared less.
Otherwise, he wouldn’t have shown off his body in public. However, the reaction didn’t exactly do Biden any favors.
This article will reveal the response to shirtless photos of President Joe Biden, including the debate about his age. Following this, we will delve into the history of U.S. Presidents having their shirtless images leaked online or going viral.
Pictures Of President Joe Biden Shirtless On The Beach Were Leaked And Sparked An Age Debate
Joe Biden took his top off while on a beach in Rehoboth, Delaware
Following President Joe Biden’s 2024 interview on The Howard Stern Show, the radio legend revealed whether or not the politician is fed answers via an earpiece. The topic swirled following increased debates about the President’s age and mental fitness, including from Dr. Phil. But Biden’s physical fitness has also been hotly debated, especially because of his history of falling and slipping in public.
Images of President Joe Biden shirtless on a beach near his Rehoboth, Delaware home didn’t do much to quell the debate about his age. The pictures went viral in August 2023 during the President’s brief vacation from office. In the images, he is depicted without his shirt on, while wearing long blue swim shorts, tennis shoes, and a backward baseball hat.
According to NDTV.com, journalist Eric Geller was the one who secretly snapped the photos. But unlike some presidential shirtless pictures, these were clearly not staged. After all, the images definitely showed just how old Biden’s body has become. Although, he is noticeably skinnier and fitter than Donald Trump, whose actual weight is far different than what he’s publicly claimed.
Journalist Eric Geller claims he was taking a walk along the beach when he spotted President Joe Biden. This is when he snapped the candid photos, according to Politico. Biden had Secret Service members spread around him, and the Coast Guard was even nearby to protect the President. However, Biden’s Secret Service was giving him and his wife, Dr. Jill Biden, tons of space.
Unsurprisingly, various X users trashed how the President looked without a shirt on after Eric Geller posted his images. This included a GIF of Homer Simpson pouring bleach into his eyes. Another person begged someone to help Biden put a shirt on:
“Can someone please buy him a shirt?”
Some users posted images of Robert F Kennedy Jr. doing push-ups without his shirt on, to show the contrast between the two 2024 Presidential candidates. Another remarked, “Grandpa looks pretty grumpy.”
However, not everyone was so quick to judge how old Biden looked without a shirt. Some claimed that he looked good for his age. This includes one user who said the following:
“He looks better than I thought for his age, an absolute unit.”
Another X user said, “Looks pretty good for an 80-year-old. I don’t think age should be a thing in 2024. He still is getting things done.”
President Joe Biden received even worse scrutiny a month earlier when a video of him shirtless on a beach leaked. This time, Biden appeared to struggle to reach and sit down in his beach chair. On his way out, Biden could be seen shuffling over the sand. All of this caused the X mob to attack the 81-year-old politician. Including one comment that suggested Biden wears diapers:
“Those shorts mask the diaper well.”
Again, some X users defended the President, including Zack Gianino who stated the following:
“Honestly, this isn’t newsworthy. As much as any of us can disagree or disapprove of President Biden, he is still a human being and is permitted to lay out in the sun… I’m almost 100% positive there’s more newsworthy things going on this week…”
Multiple U.S. Presidents Have Had Their Shirtless Pictures Leaked
Former Presidents Obama, Clinton, Reagan, and George H.W. Bush have all been seen shirtless
As far back as 1929, U.S. Presidents and presidential candidates have had their shirtless photos leaked to the public. In other circumstances, the Presidents themselves have ‘OKed’ the release of the images. This includes then-Governor Franklin D. Roosevelt, before being elected as President of The United States of America. An image in a pool in Warm Springs, Georgia was taken of Roosevelt. This is one of the earliest known images of a shirtless President, according to an expose by Politico.
Politico detailed the history of shirtless American Presidents following the image leaks of President Joe Biden on the beach in Rehoboth in the summer of 2023. Of course, the pictures weren’t as famous as those taken of Barack Obama while body surfing in Honolulu, Hawaii by Alex Brandon/AP Photo.
Presidents Obama and Biden aside, former President Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton were photographed by Paul J. Richard/AFP/Getty Images on a beach in Magens Bay, St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands. In the 1998 image, the pair could be seen in their bathing suits dancing together. A few years earlier, former President Clinton was photographed without a shirt on while swimming with his daughter, Chelsea, in Hawaii.
Republican Presidents, George H.W. Bush and Ronald Reagan were also photographed showing off some skin. The former was captured preparing to jump off a speedboat while the latter was taking a stroll on a beach in Honolulu. Richard Nixon was also photographed without his shirt on. Although, he was Vice President when the image was taken in 1957.
Other Presidents Who Were Photographed Shirtless, According to Politico:
- Gerald Ford had his image taken in the White House pool at two points in July of 1975
- Lyndon B. Johnson was photographed in a pool at the LBJ Ranch multiple times
- Harry Truman was shirtless in a photo while fishing in Key West, Florida back in November 1946
- John F. Kennedy was surrounded by women on a beach in Santa Monica while shirtless in August 1962
So while President Joe Biden received a lot of attention for his leaked shirtless photos, he is far from the only American President who has.
