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President Biden stumbled while presenting graduate diplomas at the USAF academy, in just the latest of his multiple incidents of stumbling in public view. Although he got back up on his own, this incident may raise more concerns about his age as he seeks a second term as the nation’s oldest president.
He stumbled and fell on his knees during the graduation ceremony, which Air Force officials helped him up from. The president briefly lost his balance in previous incidents, but this time, he was brought down. He walked away from the fall without help and pointed to a sandbag on the stage that he appeared to trip over. The White House blamed the black sandbag, near the podium he delivered the speech from.
White House Communications Director Ben LaBolt assured the public on Twitter that President Biden was fine. He stated that there was a sandbag placed on stage while the president was shaking hands. This latest stumble comes just weeks after Biden lost his balance at the Itsukushima Shrine in Hiroshima, Japan.
During that event, he ignored the railing available on some stairs he had to navigate down, which caused him to stumble. He stumbled once more while boarding Air Force One in March, and also fell up the stairs while boarding Air Force One in 2021 and toppled over on his bike near his Delaware beach house last June.
These incidents come in a race where Biden’s age has already become an issue. If he wins a second term, he will be sworn in at the age of 82. His chief rival, former president Donald Trump, who is 76, has continuously questioned the president’s mental capacity, adding fuel to the discussion.
When questioned about Biden’s fall on Thursday, Trump simply stated that he hoped he wasn’t hurt. He also warned that one should be careful while walking, in a possible reference to his own incident at West Point.
The fall occurred at the end of an event where Biden celebrated cadets and spoke about unifying the nation and upholding the U.S. to Ukraine’s defense. The occasion was topped off by a spectacular fly-over.
President Biden followed tradition and presented the commencement address at one of the service academies, waiving minor infractions in the cadets’ records. He also recognized the Air Force Academy graduates who piloted Air Force One. He expressed his trust in academy graduates and spoke about the future of military technology and weaponry, such as the B-21 Raider.
? BREAKING: Joe Biden falls at the Air Force Graduation
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) June 1, 2023
The stumbling incident raises concerns about the president’s physical health and age as he seeks a second term. The president briefly lost his balance during his speech, which brought him down to his knees.
Despite the fall, he walked away unscathed, and White House Communications Director Ben LaBolt reassured the nation via Twitter that President Biden was fine. This latest incident highlights a string of other incidents where the president has briefly lost his balance, bringing his physical health and age into question.
The White House has blamed the falling incident on a nearby sandbag that the president appeared to trip over, which could be seen near the podium where Biden delivered his commencement speech.
On Twitter, Communications Director Ben LaBolt stated that there was a sandbag on stage while the President was shaking hands, which resulted in the fall. Previous incidents included the president losing his balance while walking down stairs at the Itsukushima Shrine in Hiroshima, Japan, and while boarding Air Force One.
Biden would be the oldest president in history to be elected to a second term if he wins. He would be 82 when sworn in for his second term, leading to concerns about his physical health and age. His chief political rival, former President Donald Trump, who is six years younger than Biden, has continuously raised doubts about President Biden’s mental capacity. Discussing Biden’s latest stumble, Trump expressed his hope that he wasn’t hurt and warned about being careful while walking, in reference to his own incident at West Point.
The president stumbled while presenting graduate diplomas at the USAF academy commencement ceremony. This is the latest in a series of stumbling incidents in public view which have highlighted concerns about his age and physical health.
Although he briefly lost his balance in previous incidents, this time, he was brought down. Nevertheless, he walked away without help and pointed to a sandbag on stage which he appeared to trip over, which the White House claims to have been the cause of his accident.