Joe Biden's blunder causes chain reaction affecting Prince Harry, ESPYs, and Italian PM
-Reuters
President Joe Biden’s delay caused a chain reaction of frustration involving Prince Harry and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, affecting both the ESPY Awards and the NATO summit.
The ESPY Awards ended in chaos when viewers missed the final award after the show re-ran Prince Harry's segment and abruptly cut off. Those eager to discover who won Best Team at the annual ceremony in Los Angeles were left disappointed.
In a bizarre turn of events, American channel ABC broadcast footage of Prince Harry receiving the Pat Tillman Award for Service again before cutting to a closing montage and credits.
This left viewers unaware that the South Carolina Gamecocks were crowned Best Team. Prince Harry's acceptance of the award, honouring a fallen soldier and NFL player, had already sparked intense backlash.
The disruption was attributed to President Biden's delayed high-profile press conference at the NATO summit.
Initially scheduled to start at 5:30 pm on Thursday, Biden's conference was pushed back to 6:30 pm and eventually began an hour later. This delay caused ABC's ESPY coverage to start 30 minutes late and not be live.
Earlier that day, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni showed signs of frustration when Biden arrived late to the summit, which was scheduled to begin at 10 am.
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) July 11, 2024
The summit eventually began at 10:40 am, and Biden's solo press conference was subsequently rescheduled by the White House.
This lateness set off a chain of events, culminating in the ESPY Awards' chaotic ending and adding to the overall discontent surrounding the day’s events.