Joe Biden nearly fell Wednesday while climbing the stairs of Air Force One over concerns about his health and mental health.
Biden was en route to Illinois to discuss the recent fall in inflation — but still at a 40-year high — when he slipped again while boarding Air Force One.
The gaffe was reminiscent of last year’s fall, when he fell three times while attempting to board the plane in Atlanta, with the White House later blaming strong gusts of wind for the president’s missteps.
Biden, who became the oldest American to be sworn in as president when he was sworn in at age 78 in 2021, has raised concerns about his health and his presidency has been marred by mistakes and slips of the tongue.
President Joe Biden had a quick slip Wednesday while climbing the stairs of Air Force One
Biden quickly grabbed the railing to steady himself and avoid a bad fall
No injuries were reported when the President went to Illinois to speak
The moment was almost reminiscent of when he fell three times trying to board the plane in March 2021. The mistakes have raised concerns about Biden’s health
Concerns about the president’s age have been raised throughout his campaign against Donald Trump, and shortly after his November 2020 election victory, Biden suffered a broken foot while playing Major with his dog.
In November 2021, Biden underwent a colonoscopy and briefly handed power to Vice President Kamala Harris, making her at times the first sitting female president in US history. Biden took back control after the intervention.
During the surgery, Biden had a small polyp removed from his colon, which was later found to be benign.
His 2019 medical exam revealed he was taking medication for several common age-related conditions, including high cholesterol and a mild heart rhythm disorder.
Concerns for his health surfaced again in March 2021, when the president was filmed falling three times en route to board Air Force One.
Biden’s first stumble while jumping up the stairs of Air Force One in March 2021
The President then lost his balance again and fell to his knees on the carpeted stairs
Biden was in Greensboro, North Carolina, to visit North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University to pressure Congress to approve the Bipartisan Innovation Act, which aims to increase funding for domestic semiconductor production
CONCERNS ABOUT JOE’S HEALTH, WHO TENDS TO GAPE
BROKEN FOOT PLAYING WITH DOG AND TUMBLE BOARDING AIR FORCE ONE
Biden walked in a boot after breaking his foot while playing with his dog Major in November 2020.
His doctor, Dr. Kevin O’Connor said in a statement at the time that he would likely need to wear a boot for several weeks.
Biden’s recovery appeared to be going well, however, and he was soon spotted in public without the boot.
The President was then filmed three times falling while boarding Air Force One in March 2021.
The president’s fall was attributed to a “breeze,” and he sustained no injuries.
HIGH CHOLESTEROL AND IRREGULAR HEARTBEAT
In December 2019, there were concerns about Biden’s health, especially in the run-up to the 2020 election.
He released medical records showing he had an irregular heartbeat and high cholesterol, but described him as a “healthy, vigorous 77-year-old.”
Some experts questioned whether he was as healthy as he claimed.
PROMISES AND FEAR OF MEMORY LOSS
Days before the election, he was confused when he introduced his granddaughter Natalie at an event, instead referring to her as “my son Beau.”
Beau Biden died of complications from a brain tumor in 2015.
He falsely referred to Vice President Kamala Harris as “President” and falsely told US troops they were going to Ukraine.
Last month, during a speech in North Carolina, where he walked off the stage, the President put out his hand not to shake anyone’s hand.
Biden delivered a speech about the supply chain crisis at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University last month before turning his back on the audience to avoid shaking hands with anyone.
The president probably expected someone to appear next to him for the moment, but he stayed alone on stage and looked around before walking off stage.
Biden had also falsely stated that he had served as a “full professor” at the University of Pennsylvania, although he had never taught a class at the school.
He also had to contend with other slips of the tongue, such as when he referred to his new granddaughter as his son Beau during his campaign.
Earlier this year, he also incorrectly referred to Vice President Kamala Harris as “president” and was pictured wandering aimlessly during Barack Obama’s visit to the White House.
The president’s frequent mistakes have prompted questions about his cognitive abilities, and earlier this year 38 Republicans asked him to take a cognitive test.
Republicans have cited Biden’s alleged cognitive decline as the main reason the current administration has backed down on the president’s other recent verbal blunders: First, telling US troops in Warsaw, Poland, that they were about to move to Ukraine to go before suggesting that the US could engage in chemical weapons use against Russia.
Biden’s off-script gaffes about Putin’s ouster and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine have prompted critics to suggest Americans must “invoke the 25th Amendment” to remove the commander in chief.
The 25th Amendment, which regulates the succession to the President, gives the Vice President and Cabinet the power to remove the Commander-in-Chief from office by majority vote if it is determined that he or she is no longer fit for the office. It has never been called in US history.
On March 28, Republican Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky criticized Biden’s use of clue cards to answer reporters’ questions about his off-the-cuff remarks about Putin.
Paul questioned Biden’s acumen, saying the aging president’s remarks were a threat to national security.
“A lot of times when you’re with someone who’s in cognitive decline, you’re trying to help them with a sentence, help them complete it — but we shouldn’t have to do that for the Commander-in-Chief,” he told Opposite FoxNews.
“And it’s actually a national security risk because it’s sending signals that nobody in their right mind wants to send to Russia at this point.”
“We are not trying to replace Putin in Russia. We are not trying to bring about regime change.
“We are not sending troops to Ukraine and we will not immediately respond with chemical weapons.”
Georgia Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, one of Biden’s most vocal critics, said the US should seek regime change from within, rather than asking other countries to remove their leaders from power.
“The most urgent regime change right now is in the United States to ruin our country,” she tweeted last week.
Multiple polls show Biden’s approval rating at a dismal 39 percent, and an average from Real Clear Politics shows the president has an average disapproval rating of 53.7 percent.
Biden’s last presidential medical exam, conducted by his doctor Kevin O’Connor last November, found he was in “vigorous” health.
