VIDEO: President Biden trips, falls at US Air Force Academy graduation, White House speaks on incident
United States President Joe Biden tripped and fell on stage at the country’s air force academy graduation ceremony in Colorado.
NewsClick Nigeria reports that Biden delivered the opening address and proceeded to shake hands with graduates, after which he fell near the podium and was quickly assisted by those around him in returning to his feet.
The 80-year-old president walked back to his seat unassisted after the incident which happened on Thursday.
Meanwhile, the White House said the president was fine after the fall and he later joked about it, yelling “I got sandbagged!” to reporters after stepping off Marine One Thursday evening.
The stumble began as Biden was jogging away from center stage, where he earlier delivered a commencement address to the academy’s graduates. He spent more than 90 minutes handing out diplomas and congratulating hundreds of cadets.
As he was moving toward his seat, he tripped, falling to the ground. The president landed on his right hip before lifting himself up on his right hand.
A group of men, including an official with the Air Force Academy and two Secret Service agents, grasped onto Biden’s arms to help him back to his feet.
As he got back up, Biden pointed back toward the ground where he tripped, indicating something had gotten in his path. Video of the moment showed sandbags placed in front of the podium near where Biden had been standing. Earlier, the sandbags had been used to weigh down two teleprompters.
The president returned to his seat in the stands without assistance, and appeared in good spirits as the ceremony concluded.
“He’s fine. There was a sandbag on stage while he was shaking hands,” communications director Ben LaBolt wrote on Twitter.
The president didn’t respond to questions about the episode as he departed Colorado about an hour after he tripped.
Biden is 80 years old, the nation’s oldest president, and is running for a second term. He’s had previous stumbles in public, including falling to the ground during a bike ride last year in Delaware. He’s also been seen slipping on the stairs as he boards Air Force One.
Despite those incidents, Biden’s doctor has said is physically fit to serve in office. In recent physicals, Biden’s doctor has examined the president’s stiff gait, determining it was a result of “wear and tear” changes on Biden’s spine.
