A clip from Joe Biden’s visit to Syracuse University in New York on Tuesday went viral online, and people can’t seem to agree about it. Some say it was no big deal, others are calling it bizarre. In the video, you see Biden stop mid-speech, point out a man sitting behind him on stage, and start comparing him to Barack Obama. He even calls the guy “Barack” several times and tells him to come back to the podium.
The incident took place while Biden was unveiling his official law school portrait at Syracuse University College of Law in New York, where he graduated back in 1968. It was his first time visiting campus since 2024, and the portrait, paid for by one of his classmates, will hang in Dineen Hall from now on.
The man Biden singled out is Jeffrey M. Scruggs, chairman of the Syracuse University Board of Trustees. Scruggs had just praised Biden, giving him credit for the infrastructure projects that helped the Syracuse area.
In the video, which Spectrum News 1 recorded, Biden pauses in the middle of his speech and glances over at Scruggs. “I always want to turn around to one guy and say, ‘Barack, what are you doing?’” he jokes, and the crowd bursts out laughing. Biden waves Scruggs back up to the stage a few times.
When Scruggs finally returns, Biden tells everyone, “I feel like he should be standing on the right and I should be standing on the left. Doesn’t he look like Barack?” Scruggs just smiles and jokes, “Well, I try,” then steps away.
According to Mediaite, this whole exchange actually started with a comment Scruggs’s daughter once made about how much he looks like Obama.
Internet Reacts To Biden Calling Jeffrey Scruggs “Barack” at New York University
The clip quickly sparked strong and sharply divided reactions online. “He actually does kinda look like Obama,” one person wrote, speaking directly to the comparison itself. Others were more critical of the broader implications, though the framing varied widely. “Well all Democrats believe that all Blacks should act and think like they do or else they’re not really Black… so Democrats probably do believe they all look alike to them as well,” one commenter wrote.
Some who disliked Biden nonetheless defended the moment on its own terms. “Can’t stand biden, but there is nothing wrong with this. He’s just making a joke, and the guy does look like that treasonous AH that divided this country like no other,” a user commented.
A few responses leaned into the absurdity of the clip. “Whole time Biden really thought that was Barack until he came a lil closer,” one person wrote. Others tried to put the moment in a broader political context. “Well Trump thinks he is Jesus, soo let’s sit this one out bud lmao,” a user commented, while another kept it simple: “He kinda look like Barack. Squint 10 feet away tho.”
This video is picking up steam since it touches on several hot topics: people are still talking about Biden’s appearances after leaving office, bigger conversations around race in politics, and how viral videos get spun in all sorts of ways depending on who is watching. Still, everyone seems to agree on one thing: whatever you think happened in that moment, there’s no way it was planned.
