Biden walks off stage in middle of Medal of Honor ceremony before closing prayer | Watch video

President Joe Biden was seen walking off stage and out of an ongoing Medal of Honor ceremony on Tuesday, even before the closing prayer was done, which sparked controversy.

Biden awarded the nation’s highest military honor to 81-year-old retired Captain Larry L. Taylor, who saved four of his comrades in a daring rescue mission during the Vietnam War. However, after bestowing the honor on Taylor, the POTUS seemed to abruptly leave before the entire ceremony was over, as the chaplain delivered the benediction.

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As a result, the president was accused of disrespecting recipients and families. Here is a video of the moment:

People who attended the event looked confused as Biden stepped down from the podium and made his way out of the room where the ceremony was taking place. They continued to give Taylor a standing ovation as Taylor himself was left standing alone on the stage not knowing when he should be stepping down or sitting down.

As a result, Biden also took a lot of heat on social media as a number of conservatives ridiculed him. Rogan O’Handley, a pro-Trump activist was one of the people who shared the video clip of Biden leaving the stage with the caption, “He just walked out on a Medal of Honor ceremony, the highest honor for a soldier. He is a disgrace.”

Taylor was a helicopter pilot during the Vietnam War He flew hundreds of missions and risked his life to save four brave soldiers who were caught in a firefight. 

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“When I called Larry to let him know he finally was receiving this recognition, his response was, ‘I thought you had to do something to receive the Medal of Honor,'” the president said during the White House ceremony. “Let me say that again, he said, ‘I thought you had to do something to receive the Medal of Honor.’ Well Larry, you sure as hell did something, man.”

“The rescue helicopter was not coming,” Biden said as he retold the story Tuesday. “Instead, Lieutenant Taylor received a direct order: Return to base. His response was just as direct: ‘I’m getting my men out. I’m getting my men out.’ Lieutenant Taylor would perform the extraction himself, a move never before accomplished in a Cobra.”