Bumbling Joe Biden freezes for 15 seconds and AGAIN tells press he will 'get in trouble' for taking questions even though White House continues to say he is mentally fit for another term

President Joe Biden sparked more concerns about his health with a long thousand-yard stare after joking he would 'get in trouble' if he took any questions from media members. 

The president was wrapping up the launch of a task force to lower the cost of living when he refused to answer any questions from the White House press corps.

'I have a lot of questions. I better not start the questions. I'll get in trouble,' Biden, 81, said, only picking up the microphone halfway through.

Biden then put the microphone down and froze like a deer in headlights for about 15 seconds as reporters shouted questions at him.

Joe Biden sparked more concerns about his health with a long thousand-yard stare after joking he would 'get in trouble' if he took any questions

The president then muttered something that was inaudible without amplification as everyone left the room.

Hours later, his inevitable election opponent Donald Trump, 77, gave an energetic 20-minute speech after winning 12 of 13 primaries on Super Tuesday. 

The president also won all but one of the Democratic primaries, losing only American Samoa - which he also failed to win in 2020.

Biden made the same joke about not taking questions at least two other times during his presidency, and answers fewer on average than most of his predecessors.

US presidents always have a tight schedule that can be easily derailed if events go overtime due to them answering too many questions, or any at all - frustrating their staff who try to keep things moving.

Presidents also regularly use it as a lighthearted excuse to avoid taking questions if they want to avoid topics that are likely to come up.  

Biden cut reporters short during a G7 summit press conference in 2021 by blaming his staff.

'Now, why don't I take some of your questions?' he said at the end of his remarks.  

After fielding a question from the Associated Press on his plans for meeting President Vladimir Putin, he turned to a Bloomberg reporter for his second question.

'I'm sorry, I'm going to get in trouble with staff if I don't do this the right way,' he said, then calling on Jennifer Jacobs of Bloomberg.

Hours later, Biden's inevitable election opponent Donald Trump, 77, gave an energetic 20-minute speech after winning 12 of 13 primaries on Super Tuesday

He took further questions from Reuters, The Wall Street Journal and, as his final question, NBC News.

Yet as he began to walk away, more questions were shouted at him.

'I'm going to get in trouble with my staff,' he said, turning back to the press pack. 'Yeah, go ahead. But I can pretend that I didn't answer you.'

The same year, Biden took several questions during a Covid vaccination update, before joking that he was supposed to have left already.

'You guys are bad. I'm not supposed to be answering all these questions. I'm supposed to leave, but I can't resist your questions,' he said.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Biden had a habit of sticking around for questions when he wasn't supposed to.

'He takes questions nearly every day he's out from the press. That is not something we recommend,' she said.

'In fact, a lot of times, we say, 'Don't take questions.' But he's going to do what he wants to do because he's the president of the United States.'

Then Vice President Joe Biden trips as he walks onto stage to deliver a speech at the Paddington Town Hall in Sydney on July 20, 2016

Trump has taken to dancing on stage during his rallies, which combined with his bombastic persona and looking younger through fake tan and hair dye, helps him avoid criticism for his many gaffes

Biden has a long history of gaffes but questions about his age and mental stamina have persisted for the past three weeks after a special counsel report over his handling of classified documents. 

The report didn't recommend charges for Biden potentially holding on to classified documents in part because a jury would see him as 'a sympathetic, well-meaning elderly man with a poor memory.'

The president held a press conference on Thursday to dispute the report, but made matters worse by confusing Mexico and Egypt. 

Trump has his own long list of gaffes that should alarm his supporters, including confusing the names of people, places, and appearing physically frail.

But instead of denting his appeal, they appear to enhance it, or at least be ignored, as very few of his supporters say his age concerns them.

An Ipsos poll last week found that 86 percent of US voters felt Biden is too old for another term and 59 percent said both Biden and Trump were too old.