An incredibly odd scene unfolded at the White House on Tuesday during a ceremony to award the Medal of Honor to a Vietnam veteran. 

Army Captain Larry Taylor flew UH-1 Huey and AH-1 Cobra helicopters during the war. During one harrowing mission, he rescued a four-man reconnaissance team that was under heavy fire. Because his Cobra attack helicopter only had room for the two pilots onboard, the soldiers clung to the skids until Taylor was able to drop them off at a nearby American position. 

Taylor flew around 2,000 combat missions and is one of the most decorated helicopter pilots in U.S. Army history. Given that, his reception of the Medal of Honor, even long after his days in the service, was more than earned. 

Things started out in fairly normal fashion as President Joe Biden put the medal around Taylor's neck and then haphazardly saluted. That's when the scene turned to confusion. As the audience stood up to applaud, Biden walked out of the room before the ceremony was even finished. 

Joe Biden just BOLTED out of the room immediately after awarding the Medal of Honor to Army Captain Larry Taylor.

The ceremony continued on for several minutes afterwards.

Biden completely missed a concluding prayer. pic.twitter.com/BjSdeHcLPD

— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) September 5, 2023

The cameraman follows Biden, showing some people turning around and looking perplexed at what they were seeing. The closing benediction hadn't even been given yet, and people were still standing and clapping. Yet, the President of the United States just randomly walks off the stage to leave the room as Taylor is left standing there awkwardly.

Did Biden get confused and think the ceremony was over? That's the only explanation I can come up with, as it would seem unlikely that he could be made aware of some pressing matter that demanded he leave immediately while up on the stage. For the president to not even bother staying until the close of what is already an extremely short ceremony is objectively inappropriate. The entire thing came across as disrespectful to Taylor; the best excuse is that Biden is just completely out of it. 

Of course, nothing surprises me anymore. The current president stumbling around, appearing to not even know where he's at at times is par for the course. It shouldn't be, but that's where we are.