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US President Joe Biden appeared to forget what he was talking about and mumbled incoherently at the camera for several moments during an address at the White House.

A video of the incident, which occurred while Biden was speaking at an event marking the 12th anniversary of the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) programme, has been widely shared on social media, reigniting concerns about the 81-year-old Democrat’s mental acuity as he campaigns for a second term.

The clip shows Biden addressing a gathering when he begins stumbling over his words and a glazed look comes over his eyes. “Thanks to all the members of Congress and Homeland Security… Secretary… ughya… uhhh… ima… not sure you’re gonna…” Biden says, as those around him look on in concern.

The White House has pushed back against such videos that Biden’s political adversaries have seized on as evidence of the president’s frailty and mental decline. Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the videos had been deceptively edited or misrepresented, branding them as “cheapfakes.”

“It tells you everything that we need to know about how desperate Republicans are here,” Jean-Pierre said.

Republican social media accounts and conservative media outlets have shared multiple videos purportedly showing Biden freezing up or wandering off on his own.

In one such clip, Biden appears to wander away from other world leaders during a skydiving demonstration at the G7 summit in Italy.

Another widely circulated clip shows Biden standing motionless for a few seconds onstage at a fundraiser before being led away by former President Barack Obama.

Despite these “out-of-context” videos and mounting worries over his mental and physical fitness, Biden continued to push forward with his administration’s policy announcements. On Tuesday, he announced a new programme allowing certain US citizens’ spouses without legal status to apply for permanent residency and eventually citizenship without having to first depart the country.

The initiative will be open to an estimated 500,000 spouses who have lived in the US for at least 10 years as of June 17, as well as some 50,000 children under age 21 with a US-citizen parent.