Close, but no Obama.
Former President Joe Biden spotted a familiar face on stage during his portrait unveiling at Syracuse University School of Law Tuesday and demanded the man join him at the podium in an awkward exchange.
“I always want to turn around to one guy and say … ‘Barack, what are you doing?’” Biden joked during the event at his alma mater.
The 83-year-old former president was referring to Jeffrey Scruggs, who is black and the chairman of the school’s Board of Trustees, and apparently reminds Biden of the 44th president, Barack Obama.
Biden awkwardly put the spotlight on Scruggs and called for him to come up to the podium, despite the chairman’s apparent reluctance.
“Come here, come here, come here, come here … come here,” Biden repeatedly demanded, motioning for Scruggs.
“I feel like he should be standing on the right and I should be standing on the left,” Biden said, after the trustee finally walked over laughing.
“Doesn’t he look like Barack?” the former president asked the audience, as Scruggs shook his head, seemingly disagreeing with Biden’s assessment.
“As they say, you’ve done good, fella,” Biden told Scruggs.
To which Scruggs responded, “Well, you know, I try.”
Scruggs reportedly told Biden backstage that his daughter wanted him to ask the former president if he looked like Obama. The onstage moment was meant to show the daughter that Biden believed that her dad did look like his ex-boss, the Daily Mail reported.
Several social media users agreed with Biden’s assessment, while some argued the moment was “racist.”
“He does look like Barack though,” one X user argued. “The hair, the face shape, the suit.”
“Low key he does look like him!” another user chimed in.
“That dude does genuinely look like Obama,” read another X comment.
