Joe Biden sports Trump hat in show of “unity”

A photo of US President Joe Biden has gone viral after he was briefly seen sporting a Trump 2024 hat.

A photo of US President Joe Biden has gone viral after he was briefly seen sporting a red Trump 2024 hat in a show of “bipartisan unity”.

A Trump supporter asked the 81-year-old to wear his predecessor’s cap while speaking to firefighters on the anniversary of the September 11, 2001, attacks in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, where the hijacked plane crashed.

“At the Shanksville Fire Station, President Joe Biden spoke about the country’s bipartisan unity after 9/11 and said we needed to get back to that,” White House spokesman Andrew Bates wrote on X.

“As a gesture, he gave a hat to a Trump supporter who then said that in the same spirit, (Biden) should put on his Trump cap. He briefly wore it.”

Footage and images of the president wearing the hat were quickly shared online, including by the Trump campaign’s official War Room.

“Kamala did so bad in last night’s debate, Joe Biden just put on a Trump hat,” it wrote in a post on X, referencing Tuesday’s presidential debate.

Others online noted the moment came after Mr Trump told Vice President Kamala Harris, Mr Biden “hates” her during the debate.

The fiery debate, held less than eight weeks from the US election, was watched by 57.5 million Americans, according to preliminary figures from ratings agency Nielsen.

Across three national polls conducted since the debate, an average of 57 per cent of viewers said Ms Harris turned in the better performance, while only 34 per cent said Mr Trump came out on top.

The White House said Mr Biden was asked to wear the cap by a Trump supporter. Picture: X

Earlier on Wednesday, Ms Harris and Mr Trump shook hands at New York’s 9/11 memorial while wearing commemorative blue ribbons to mark the anniversary of the attacks.

The rivals, along with other assembled dignitaries, including Mr Biden, watched as the names of the almost 3,000 victims of the attacks on the Twin Towers were read out.

US Vice President Kamala Harris shakes hands with former US President Donald Trump. Picture: Adam Gray/AFP

“We stand in solidarity with their families and loved ones. We also honour the extraordinary heroism on display that fateful day by ordinary Americans helping their fellow Americans,” Ms Harris said in a statement.

Afterwards, the President and Vice President visited the site in Pennsylvania, with Trump following later.

Mr Biden and Ms Harris later visited the site where another jet was flown into the Pentagon outside Washington in 2001.

– With AFP

Originally published as Joe Biden sports Trump hat in show of “unity”