President Biden declined an opportunity to visit the British Navy’s new flagship aircraft carrier during his 2021 trip to the UK due to the large number of steps involved, according to former Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s upcoming autobiography. Additionally, Biden seemed to show a particular fondness for Johnson’s wife during the visit, Johnson reveals in the book.

The two leaders met just before the G7 summit in Cornwall, where the British government had positioned its $4.3 billion aircraft carrier, the HMS Prince of Wales, in a display of pride. Johnson describes this event in his memoir, Unleashed.

Before Biden’s first overseas trip as president, Johnson and his team speculated about whether the 78-year-old US leader was “really as elderly-seeming as his detractors sometimes said,” an excerpt from the book, obtained by The Telegraph, reveals.

“His staff told us that he would not in fact be boarding our vast aircraft carrier — which we had proudly stationed in the bay — because it had so many steps; and we wondered what that meant about his physical fitness,” Johnson writes.

Although Biden skipped the tour of the warship, he appeared energetic enough to joke with Johnson’s then-33-year-old wife, Carrie, showing what Johnson described as “a bit of shine” toward her.

Biden, who was accompanied by First Lady Jill Biden, remarked to Johnson that they both had “married above ourselves.” He also joked with Carrie about sneaking away from her husband for a private walk.

“‘Why don’t you and I go down to the beach … and leave this guy here?’” Biden quipped to Carrie, as “Jill Biden rolled her eyes,” Johnson recounts.

The president’s 2021 G7 appearance was marred by a few awkward moments, including one during a roundtable discussion where Biden mistakenly corrected Johnson for not introducing “the president of South Africa,” despite Johnson having already done so.

Biden later withdrew from his 2024 reelection bid, endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris, following growing concerns about his mental and physical fitness after a poorly received debate performance against former President Donald Trump in June.

Johnson’s autobiography is set to be published on October 10.

{Matzav.com}