During Thursday’s Air Force Academy graduation ceremony in Colorado, President Biden fell to the ground on stage. The mishap occurred after his commencement address while he was shaking hands and distributing diplomas to the graduates. As he stood up after the fall, he indicated a black sandbag on the stage, suggesting that he had stumbled over it. Despite the incident, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre confirmed Biden was “totally fine” as he embarked on Air Force One for his return journey to Washington. However, upon his arrival at the White House, he had a minor accident, bumping his head on the doorframe of his Marine One helicopter.
Biden, humorously referring to the incident later, stated, “I got sandbagged.” With the assistance of Secret Service agents and an Air Force officer, the President regained his footing.
Former President Donald Trump–who is 76 and the 2024 frontrunner for the Republican nomination, expressed surprise and concern: “He actually fell down? Well, I hope he wasn’t hurt.”
The event sparked various reactions, particularly from conservatives. Tom Fitton, President of Judicial Watch, said the fall underscores his “age-related cognitive and physical challenges.” Similarly, Jack Dorsey, former CEO of Twitter, suggested that the Democratic primaries and debates should be opened for fairness.
Conversely, Biden allies have assured everyone that the President was fine.
In February, Biden underwent his annual physical, receiving a clean health report. However, a skin-cancer lesion was detected, and presidential physician Dr. Kevin O’Connor pointed out Biden’s “spinal arthritis” and stiff gait. He attributed Biden’s stiffness primarily to degenerative osteoarthritic changes in his spine. The November 2021 report tied it to spinal arthritis, post-fracture limp and compensation, and mild sensory peripheral neuropathy of the feet. Biden had fractured his foot shortly after winning the 2020 election.
A recent Washington Post-ABC poll revealed that only 32% of the public believe Biden possesses the required mental acuity to serve as president. If he completes a second term, he will be 86.
