President Joe Biden once again had trouble navigating the steps of Air Force One — he stumbled briefly as he boarded the presidential plane on Sunday as it took off from Selma, Alabama.
The latest waver comes less than two weeks after he stumbled up the stairs as he boarded a plane after a whirlwind three-day visit to Europe, including a 10-hour train ride to and from Kyiv, Ukraine’s war-torn capital.
The president, 80, also fell down the stairs of Air Force One just two months into his term in March 2021.
And in June 2022, he fell off his bike while spending a weekend in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.
President Joe Biden again had trouble navigating the steps of Air Force One — he stumbled briefly as he boarded the presidential plane on Saturday as he took off from Selma, Alabama
One of his biggest vulnerabilities in the 2024 presidential campaign cycle — should Biden run — will be his age, as Republican nominee Nikki Haley is already calling for politicians over 75 to undergo “competence tests.”
On Saturday, former President Donald Trump, 76, announcing a presidential run in November, ridiculed Biden for his stumbling blocks.
“We all smile when he falls down the stairs and stuff, it’s cute when he falls off his bike,” he joked to the audience at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference, which Trump headlined.
“You know what surprises me?” continued the ex-president. “The reporters didn’t catch him when the bike went down, they were right next to him. They dropped him,” he said.
Biden was cycling with first lady Jill Biden down a trail near their vacation home in Rehoboth Beach in June when residents beckoned him to wish him a happy Father’s Day.
The president stopped his bicycle, but fell sideways when his right foot got caught in the toe trap. Reporters tried to get hold of the president, but Secret Service agents quickly swarmed him.
He got up after only a few seconds on the floor.
FEBRUARY 2023: Biden concluded his *trip* to Ukraine and Poland by falling down the steps of Air Force One while returning to the United States
MARCH 2021: Biden hangs from the railing as he stumbles aboard Air Force One, just two months into his administration
Biden also famously fell off his bike near his Delaware beach house after struggling to get his feet off the toe clips
The most memorable example came on June 1, 1975, when Republican President Gerald Ford fell down the slippery stairs of Air Force One upon arriving in Salzburg, Austria.
Former Face the Nation host Bob Schieffer referenced another incident from the 1976 campaign trail.
He remembered the news that Ford tripped, missed the door, and then hit his head trying to exit the back platform of a train in Kalamazoo, Michigan.
There were also several stories of Ford falling while skiing.
Decades earlier, Ford almost fell overboard while serving as a World War II navigation officer on the USS Monterey.
A wave had hit the ship’s deck. Ford was saved by his foot getting caught in a grate, according to the story.
That moment was commemorated in a statue of Ford that can be seen on the USS Ford when the ship is not deployed. according to Insiders.
If you look closely, you can see that one of the statue’s feet is stuck in a grid
Biden’s falls follow in the footsteps of several modern presidents.
Presidents Barack Obama and Gerald Ford struggled with the stairs of the presidential plane, while Trump boarded the plane with toilet paper taped to his shoe.
Former President Barack Obama briefly tripped on the stairs of Air Force One on March 30, 2015 as he returned to Washington from a golf trip in Florida
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The late President Gerald Ford is helped by a military aide after he slipped and fell down the stairs while disembarking Air Force One on June 1, 1975 during an overseas trip to Salzburg, Austria.
President Gerald Ford is helped to his feet after falling down the steps of Air Force One during a trip to Austria in 1975
Former President Donald Trump is seen with toilet paper taped to his shoe as he boards Air Force One to Minneapolis in 2018
Toilet paper can be seen on former President Donald Trump’s shoe as he walks to Marine One as he leaves New York on Nov. 12, 2019
Ford’s awkwardness also became part of his pop culture persona, with Saturday Night Live cast member Chevy Chase using it in his presidential bits of the time.
When President Barack Obama was elected in 2008, he was among the youngest presidents in the country.
Notably, he turned the White House tennis court into where he played basketball games with staffers.
Still, Air Force One’s moves became a challenge to the Democratic leader.
He tripped on the stairs on March 30, 2015 while returning from a Florida golf trip;
Trump had no major falls, but that didn’t keep attention off his toes.
There were at least two instances where he was found to have toilet paper stuck to his shoe.
In October 2018, he boarded Air Force One to Minneapolis and a white sheet appears glued to his left shoe.
And when he left New York in November 2019, it seems some toilet paper got stuck again.
In addition, Trump was ridiculed for the way he walked down a slope at West Point in June 2020.
He later said his odd walk was due to the slope being “slippery” – despite it being a sunny day – and because he was wearing “leather soled shoes,” which are also “slippery,” he said.
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