Turkish President Erdogan gives a hard pass to glass of water from his bodyguard | Watch

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan recently appeared to be in a dilemma over a glass of water, according to a clip circulating on social media. Prior to securing his historic reelection on Sunday, Erdogan spent days attending political events and rallies to gather supporters who could help him extend his rule into a third decade.

At one such event, the 69-year-old leader was seen rejecting a glass of water apparently offered to him by his bodyguard. The video, which runs for about 30 seconds, shows a man in a formal suit grabbing the glass from behind, before handing it over to the President.

Erdogan then continues to look at the glass but does not hold it. The man then turns back and gives it to the leader's son Bilal. Giving it a second shot, the son brings the glass to his father, who looks at him and then proceeds to sip. The video, shared on Twitter, has gone viral in recent days. While some have speculated that it shows Erdogan's overall distrust in his security team, others suggest that it has to do with a fear of something going awfully wrong at the event. 

Footage shows Turkish President Erdogan refusing to take a glass of water from his bodyguard and after his son Bilal Erdogan brought the water, he took it and drank it. pic.twitter.com/hN7Jahz4Pf

— Markus Kartesalo 🇫🇮🇬🇧🇳🇴🇸🇪🇩🇰 (@MKartesalo) May 29, 2023

Social media users react to Erdogan's viral video 

While such rumours have run amok, there is little clarity on the exact reason for Erdogan's initial refusal to drink water. Turkish media reports state that the incident occurred during a political event attended by the President in the province of Hatay earlier this month. 

Reacting to the clip, one user wrote: "I don’t get it? it’s still the same water from the guard." "But it was the same water so what is the difference if it's poisoned he drank it," wrote another user. A third user said, "Smart guy". The clip surfaced on social media shortly after Erdogan won the presidential elections on Sunday. He defeated his rival Kemal Kilicdaroglu by amassing 52% of the total vote count.