President Joe Biden nearly missed walking up the stairs to address the National Peace Officers Memorial Service in front of the Capitol building on Wednesday.
The 81-year-old’s left toe hit the step, causing him to stumble slightly, but the president regained his balance, preventing a major spill.
The decision was close when the step was marked with yellow and black tape, to show a distinction from the red carpet on the improvised stage.
The president has fallen down the stairs of Air Force One several times, so much so that he now predominantly uses a shorter flight of stairs, tripped on a sandbag, and fell off his bike during a trip to Rehoboth Beach in June 2022.
At the same time, Americans have told pollsters they are concerned about Biden’s ability to carry out a second term as the country’s oldest president in history.
President Joe Biden, 81, had a near-miss on Wednesday, snagging his left toe on a step as he was about to speak at the National Peace Officers Memorial Service in front of the US Capitol. .
The president regained his balance and avoided another embarrassing spill. The president fell down the stairs of Air Force One, fell off his bicycle and tripped on a sandbag
During the president’s brief remarks, dedicated to the families of fallen police officers amid Washington, D.C. Police Week, Biden drew attention to his own losses: his son Beau, his first wife Neilia and his daughter Naomi.
“I know what it is,” he said.
“Only one thing helped: family,” he advised.
He called police officers the “steel backbone” of the country.
“Unfortunately I have spoken at too many funerals for too many police officers,” he also said.
He noted recent visits he had with families of fallen officers in Charlotte, North Carolina.
“Every time you put on that shield your family wonders if that call will come,” he said. “We owe it to you as a nation.”