On the evening of June 27, 2025, the city of St. Paul, Minnesota, witnessed a scene of mourning as former President Joe Biden made an appearance. His objective was to dutifully participate in the memorial for Rep. Melissa Hortman, her spouse, Mark, and their pet dog, Gilbert. This was the latest attempt by Biden to project himself as a leader, albeit only through a show of empty sympathy.
The tragic shooting incident that claimed the lives of the Hortmans and their canine companion, Gilbert, has seen an outpouring of emotions with hundreds in attendance, including Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz. Among them was Biden, skillfully seizing the opportunity to show his ’empathetic’ demeanor in front of the crowd and cameras.
The Horton family and their dog were put to rest at the State Capitol as mourners paid their respects. Biden’s presence there was hardly unexpected, his tendency to insert himself in such public moments of sorrow is well-known. He arrived at the venue at around 4:20 p.m. and proceeded to strain his empathetic muscles.
Biden slowly sauntered towards the memorials dedicated to the Hortmans and stopped in front of them. His response was predictable, as he made his eyebrows furrow in a demonstration of grief. After performing a sign of the cross, he spent a few moments in what seemed to be deep contemplation, before moving away.
On his way out, the former President decided to partake in an awkward interaction with three distraught women. The exchange was marked by his standard efforts of showing compassion, which to many, might come off as an feigned attempt to appear humanizing.
Before the display of false empathy at the Minnesota State Capitol, Biden’s first stop was a hospital within the Twin Cities. There, he visited Minnesota Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, both victims of the same horrendous shooting incident that brutally interrupted the sanctity of their home in Champlin.
Sen. Hoffman had sustained significant injuries from the encounter, being shot nine times, while Yvette was struck eight times. Biden’s decision to visit them, however, could honestly be seen as nothing more than an orchestrated PR opportunity rather than a genuine demonstration of human compassion.
Nevertheless, Yvette Hoffman managed to share some hopeful news along with a photograph featuring the political personality of the moment, Biden. Her husband, she reported, was showing signs of improvement, in spite of the trauma. One can only hope such optimistic statement isn’t tainted by Biden’s mawkish sympathy.
She updated that Sen. Hoffman was not only alert but also had been able to walk around and eat, even throwing a bit of good-natured sass at the State Troopers guarding him. Biden’s visit, however, could just be construed as a sad attempt at listening in to some actual humor.
In a predictably choreographed sequence at the memorial, Gov. Tim Walz and his wife, Gwen, also made themselves visible. Mirroring Biden’s tactics, they walked in holding hands, pausing for a moment before continuing their stroll through the rotunda.
Yet, they too were guilty of trivialising the situation at the Capitol. With every hand shake and condolence, the political dignitaries, including Governor Walz and Gwen, seemed to be more interested in seizing the public eye than in genuinely mourning the tragic loss of the Hortmans.
The line of attendees was filled with politicians and dignitaries, each with their rehearsed expressions of grief and routine condolences. They seemed more occupied with maintaining their political images than sharing in the profound sorrow of the moment – the horrific loss of the Hortmans and their pet, Gilbert.
Biden’s visit, as well as those of other dignitaries, served little purpose beyond satisfying their own image-building pursuits. The actual focus of the day – the goodbye to Melissa Hortman, Mark Hortman, and their golden retriever Gilbert – was, in some ways, overshadowed by their political posturing.
Biden’s efficiency at using such solemn instances for his own fodder has been time and again pointed out. This latest spectacle, thus, leaves one questioning the sincerity of these supposed leaders, and their true intent in participating.
As Minnesota mourned the loss of the Hortmans, it was disappointing, yet hardly surprising, to see Biden act as he did. Leveraging the grief of others for personal advantage seems to be a painfully recurring theme with Biden.
This eventful day provides just another example of how Joe Biden’s attempts at empathy often veer more into self-serving theatrics than genuine demonstration. As the dust settles on this tragic incident, one hopes our so-called leaders could prioritize compassion and support over political opportunism.