President Joe Biden laughed off his embarrassing fall at the Air Force Academy commencement ceremony as he arrived safely back at the White House on Thursday.
‘I got sandbagged,’ he joked to reporters following the tumble, which has raised more questions about his age and health.
The 80-year-old commander-in-chief was caught on video stumbling, and hitting the floor before cadets and Secret Service members rushed to grab his arms while he was handing out diplomas in Colorado.
He then walked away without help and appeared to point to a sandbag on the stage.
The White House has since insisted the president wasn’t hurt and also blamed the black sandbag, which could be seen near the podium where he was speaking.
‘He’s fine,’ White House Communications Director Ben LaBolt tweeted shortly after the incident. ‘There was a sandbag on stage while he was shaking hands.’
But the incident marks the fourth time Biden fell in public since he took office in January 2021, and has sparked concerns as he mounts his for another term in the White House.
If he wins in 2024, he would he 86 years old at the end of his second term.
President Joe Biden shrugged off his most recent tumble when confronted by reporters Thursday evening
President Joe Biden is helped up after falling during the graduation ceremony at the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado. He fell while handing out diplomas to cadets
The 80-year-old commander-in-chief stumbled, hit the floor and had cadets and Secret Service rush to grab his arms while he was handing out diplomas in Colorado
If he wins in 2024, he would he 86 years old at the end of his second term.
The stumble comes just weeks after Biden lost his balance while visiting the Itsukushima Shrine in Hiroshima, Japan.
During that event, there was a railing available on some stairs the president had to navigate down.
He ignored the railing and stumbled, restoring his balance while walking downward. Biden also stumbled while boarding Air Force One in March on a trip to Selma, Alabama.
Biden fell up the stairs while boarding Air Force One in 2021 and toppled over on his bike near his Delaware beach house last June. He was not harmed in any of the incidents.
A pool reporter traveling with the president to Colorado said Biden ‘was walking back to his seat when fell. He appeared to have tripped on a black sandbag on the stage.
‘When he fell, pointed to the black sandbag suggesting that’s what he tripped on,’ according to the report.
It was three years ago when then-President Donald Trump appeared to struggle while walking down a ramp when delivering the commencement speech at West Point.
‘He’s fine,’ White House Communications Director Ben LaBolt tweeted afterward. ‘There was a sandbag (seen left) on stage while he was shaking hands.’
The 80-year-old commander-in-chief tripped and fell his knees and then got back up during the graduation ceremony
The president was able to stand up and walk after the incident, and did not immediately leave the stage
Sandbagged: President Biden has fallen on stage while handing out diplomas at the Air Force Academy in Colorado
The fall came at the end of an event where Biden celebrated cadets, spoke about unifying the nation, and committed the U.S. to Ukraine’s defense
First lady Jill Biden, who sometimes walks with Biden as she did holding hands on their return from Wilmington Tuesday, was out of the country Thursday attending a royal wedding in Jordan.
The fall comes in a race where Biden’s age has already become an issue. Biden would be 82 when he is sworn in if he wins a second term.
His chief rival, 76, former President Donald Trump, has repeatedly questioned Biden’s mental capacity.
‘Well, I hope he wasn’t hurt,’ said Trump when asked about Biden’s incident Thursday.
He sought further information when a reporter first told him the details. ‘He actually fell down?’ Trump asked.
‘The whole thing is – look,’ he elaborated. ‘The whole thing is crazy. You’ve got to be careful about that. Because you don’t want that. Even if you have to tip toe down a ramp …’ he said, in a possible reference to his own incident at West Point.
The fall comes just hours after Biden scored a legislative achievement, with the House voting to pass a deal he negotiated with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy to avoid a potential default.
It also comes at the start of a presidential campaign where the White House is already fielding questions about why Biden has not been on the road more or held any formal campaing rallies.
The White House physician has pronounced Biden fit to serve, but has also noted stiffening in his gait.
Dr. Kevin O’Connor wrote last year after Biden’s annual physical exam that his ‘gait remains stiff, but has not worsened since last year.’
He added: ‘After careful analysis of the patient’s history, findings on the detailed physical exam and review of radiologic imaging, the team concluded that much of his stiffness is in fact a result of degenerative (‘wear and tear’) osteoarthritic changes (or spondylosis) of his spine.’
The president in recent months has been walking more slowly when going to and from the White House, as compared to footage from 2021.
He still flies regularly as he did over Memorial Day weekend, when he flew to Camp David, returned to the White House, then flew to Wilmington and returned to D.C.
Biden’s fall came at the end of a speech where he kept up the tradition of having a president speak at one of the service academies.
MAY 2023: Biden tripped as he walked down the stairs of the Itsukushima Shrine during the G7 visit in Hiroshima
FEBRUARY 2023:Biden concluded his *trip* to Ukraine and Poland Wednesday by falling up the stairs of Air Force One as he was headed back to the United States
JUNE 2022: Biden fell off his bike during a trip to his home in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware
MARCH 2021: Just two months into his term, Biden tripped and fell up the stairs while boarding Air Force One
As per custom, he waived cadets of any minor infractions in their records, and spoke about the U.S. commitment to Ukraine in its war against Russia’s invasion and the achievements of the Air Force and Space Force in aiding the effort.
He also acknowledged the Air Force Academy graduates who pilot Air Force One.
‘I trust my life to academy graduates,’ he said.
Biden also spoke to the latest in military technology that young cadets will be responsible for operating in the future, including high-tech weaponry like the B-21 Raider.
‘You’re going to be flying that sucker,’ he said.
