The Hill reported that First Lady Jill Biden welcomed the White House Christmas tree on Monday alongside a group of military children.

However, the now 81-year-old President Joe Biden was nowhere to be seen, a fact which may lead to yet more questions over his fitness for office. 

Children "had never seen a tree so big"

According to The Hill, Mrs. Biden "admired the tree while it was lying in a horse-drawn wagon" and stopped to talk with the children who had lined up in front of it.

‘Tis the season! The Official White House Christmas Tree has arrived. pic.twitter.com/dkwW1ZQ1Xs

— The White House (@WhiteHouse) November 21, 2023

"Early Merry Christmas, happy Thanksgiving," the first lady was quoted as saying while "It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year" could be heard playing in the background.

"The tree is magnificent. Some of the kids said they had never seen a tree so big," Mrs. Biden said of the 18-foot Fraser fir tree which had been hauled up from North Carolina.

"So I hope you’ll all come back during the holidays with your families and join us. And come see the tree when it’s decorated," she went on to tell the children.

Ben Shapiro calls birthday photo "one of the worst campaign blunders"

That event came the same day that President Biden celebrated his 81st birthday, with staff releasing a photo of him in front of a birthday cake.

However, the image was derided by some observers, including conservative commentator and podcast host Ben Shapiro.

This is legitimately one of the worst campaign blunders I have ever seen. Everything about it is idiotic. He's gripping the table as though he's about to keel over. He's got the rictus smile, illuminated by fire. This cake looks like somebody set the world on fire. Which he did. pic.twitter.com/qiDhiP0if7

— Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) November 21, 2023

In a post on the social media platform previously known as Twitter, he called it "one of the worst campaign blunders I have ever seen."

Poll shows most doubt Biden's "health and mental acuity"

"He's gripping the table as though he's about to keel over. He's got the rictus smile, illuminated by fire. This cake looks like somebody set the world on fire. Which he did," Shapiro remarked.

Biden's birthday comes less than a week after a Yahoo News/YouGov poll was published showing that 54% of Americans think he now lacks "the competence to carry out the job of president."

What's more, another 64% indicated that they are either "somewhat" or "very" concerned over Biden's "health and mental acuity."