In what seemed like a car accident rather than a deliberate act, a sedan collided with a sport-utility vehicle during Joe Biden's motorcade on Sunday night, December 17, in Delaware. No injuries were reported.
Car Slams Into Presidential Motorcade
Following a dinner with campaign workers and staff, the president and first lady, Jill Biden, were about to be escorted by the president's motorcade to their Wilmington residence. An impact could be heard down the street from Biden and his protected Secret Service team as they went out into the street.
An online video from X (previously Twitter) shows a group of onlookers at the site, who exclaimed, "Whoa," in response to the audible boom and engine revving heard at an intersection close to the building.
Yet another clip showed Biden making his way to a car while waving to the press just before they were hit. Secret Service officials and Biden hurriedly went inside the van after hearing a loud crash. No harm came to Biden as he was quickly removed from the area.
Agents from the Secret Service encircled the automobile, their weapons drawn, as the driver held up his hands. At the scene, cameras captured the sedan's damaged front bumper and the road's apparent slippery conditions from the rain. In a conversation with secret service agents, the driver is seen still raising his hands.
Secret Service Claims It Was Unintentional
It was implied in a statement by the Secret Service that the crash was accidental.
In a report by The Guardian, Secret Service spokesperson special agent Steve Kopak, "There was no protective interest associated with this event, and the president's motorcade departed without incident."
As said in a statement by the Wilmington police department, its investigators are currently looking further into the crash and have established that no injuries were reported.
As a severe downpour started to hammer the area on Sunday night, conditions in downtown Delaware were slippery. At least some residents of the state lost power, and authorities issued a flood warning that would last until the break of dawn on Monday, December 18.
Biden Hosts Holiday Dinner for Staffers, Volunteers
The crash occurred in downtown Wilmington, just outside of Biden's campaign offices. For the benefit of the president's re-election campaign in 2024, Joe and Jill Biden hosted a Christmas feast for staffers and volunteers.
Just moments before the incident, Jill Biden had stepped out to wish the assembled crowd "happy holidays" before getting into a car.
As Biden made his way to his car just seconds before the crash, a reporter asked his opinions on his inadequate results in the polls. According to NBC News, he answered: "They're the wrong polls."