President Joe Biden appeared to trip coming down the stairs of Air Force One on Tuesday — just hours after Axios published a report stating that the president’s team was actively working to prevent just such an occurrence.
Biden exited the presidential plane via the short staircase — which the report suggested were being used more regularly because of Biden’s propensity for slipping — and about halfway down, he appeared to slip on a stair, catch the railing, and right himself before carefully navigating the remainder of the stairs.
WATCH:
Whoa there Joe!
Watch Joe Biden almost fall down the short stairs getting off of Air Force One: pic.twitter.com/89sFvdUtSe
— Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) September 26, 2023
The presidential wobble was caught on several cameras, providing views from multiple angles.
WATCH:
ANOTHER ANGLE: Biden nearly trips as he exits Air Force One using the short stairs — which his staffers make him use to avoid tripping pic.twitter.com/RBcactMYHN
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) September 26, 2023
The Axios report, published just hours earlier, said that Biden and his team had implemented a new strategy in an effort to keep him from falling down and getting hurt — especially as the 2024 presidential campaign begins to heat up.
Citing a fear among senior Democrats that Biden could potentially have a serious fall resulting in injury — particularly in the weeks prior to the 2024 election — Axios reported that Biden’s team was pulling out all the stops to keep the trip hazards in his path to a minimum. In recent weeks, the outlet noted, Biden had often exited Air Force One using the short stairs — and he had taken to wearing tennis shoes.
“Gotta make the steps even shorter,” Fox News host Sean Hannity said via X.
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Despite voters’ very real concerns about Biden’s age and capabilities, the president’s staffers attempted to make light of the Axios report. White House Deputy Press Secretary Andrew Bates and Communications Director Ben LaBolt mocked the report via X, suggesting that it was a manufactured scandal and comparing it to criticisms about former President Barack Obama’s now-infamous tan suit.
“Move over, tan suit! Can confirm: @POTUS is one of the millions of Americans with sneakers,” Bates said.
LaBolt added, “The single greatest scandal in presidential history (since President Obama wore a tan suit).”