Cop26 climate change conference: US President Joe Biden appears to doze off during speeches

US President Joe Biden at the opening session of the COP26 UN Climate Summit in Glasgow, Scotland. Photo / AP

US President Joe Biden appeared to doze off during the opening speeches of the Cop26 summit in Glasgow.

The 78-year-old, who was branded "Sleepy Joe" by rival Donald Trump on the campaign trail, seemed to nod off for more than 30 seconds before being interrupted by an aide who whispered something in his ear.

As Biden rested his eyes, the person speaking on stage said: "You have the chance to make decisions and reach an agreement which will affect the lives of generations to come. You are in positions of extraordinary power. You can change forever the trajectory that we are on."

At the end of the speech, Biden clapped along with the rest of the delegates.

U.S. President Joe Biden speaks during the opening ceremony of the UN Climate Change Conference COP26 in Glasgow, Scotland. Photo / AP

It had been an early start on Monday for the President, who woke up in Rome at Villa Taverna, the US Ambassador's residence.

He then flew on Air Force One to Edinburgh, touching down at 10.54am, before being driven to Glasgow, arriving at Cop26 just after midday, where he was welcomed by Boris Johnson.

It is not the first time that Biden has been accused of falling asleep during important meetings.

Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel's former prime minister, suggested in a Facebook video that Biden had fallen asleep when sitting next to Naftali Bennett, the new Israeli leader, at the White House in August.

However, the video of the interaction that went viral was clipped on social media and did not show the full picture. Although Biden's head was bowed, his hands kept moving and he replied to Bennett straight away.

The "Biden asleep" video is now being reported by #Iran's state broadcaster. The footage they've shared is clearly snipped to show a few seconds where Biden's dropped his head in conversation with Israeli PM Bennett.

The vid below includes a longer version of the snipped scene. pic.twitter.com/2TQN1TFeWQ

— Kian Sharifi (@KianSharifi) August 29, 2021

Questions have been raised about Biden's physical, and mental fitness, after a series of gaffes, including falling three times while climbing the stairs of Air Force One and referring to his wife Jill as his sister.

However, Biden, who has said he uses a Peloton bike to keep fit, often makes a point of jogging in a show of his fitness.

Biden's latest medical report showed no signs of any degenerative disease.