President Joe Biden stumbled and fell on stage at the U.S. Air Force Academy graduation after delivering a commencement speech. The incident occurred as he was handing out the last diploma to the Air Force cadets. Air Force officials promptly helped him up, and the White House assured the public that the president is "fine." According to a White House pool report, Biden appeared to slip and fall on his knees and was assisted by the Air Force officials. Despite the fall, the president remained standing until the ceremony concluded a few minutes later.
After being helped up, President Biden walked away unassisted and seemed to point out a sandbag on the stage that may have caused him to trip. White House Communications Director Ben LaBolt tweeted shortly after the incident, stating, "He's fine. There was a sandbag on stage while he was shaking hands." A subsequent pool report clarified that Biden tripped on a black sandbag while walking back to his seat after delivering his address.
This stumble comes in the wake of another incident just weeks ago when Biden stumbled while visiting the Itsukushima Shrine in Hiroshima, Japan. On that occasion, there was a railing available on the stairs, but the president ignored it and stumbled before regaining his balance. Earlier this year, Biden also stumbled while boarding Air Force One during a trip to Selma, Alabama.
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It is worth noting that Biden previously fell up the stairs while boarding Air Force One in 2021 and toppled over on his bike near his Delaware beach house last June. Fortunately, he did not sustain any injuries in these incidents.
In June of last year, Biden made headlines when he fell off his bike while trying to greet a group of reporters and residents at the Cape Henlopen State Park in Delaware. Despite the fall, he reassured everyone that he was fine and continued interacting with the crowd.
The latest fall comes at a time when concerns about Biden's age have been raised. A recent poll indicated that a majority of voters have reservations about his age as he contemplates running for a second term, considering that he would be 86 by the end of a potential second term.