President Joe Biden, at 80. is the oldest United States president and has shown signs of his age since he took office. His repeated gaffes when speaking and his trouble with the teleprompter as well as his tendency to go “off script” and ramble have made him the brunt of jokes by his opposition and even some Democrats.
He has fallen and injured himself while riding his bike, and playing with his dog. But when he boards Air Force One and disembarks from the plane, all eyes are on the leader of the United States of America, as media and individuals alike are capturing his demeanor.
For instance, Biden tripped three times going up the stairs to the presidential plane in March 2021, and there have been other stumbles along the way as well.
Just last month Biden was in Warsaw, Poland, on a high-profile visit when he stumbled on the stairs to the plane.
Biden had chosen to visit Ukraine and Poland on President’s Day rather than be on hand in the U/S. to honor former presidents, so the trip made headlines in the media, as did the stumble.
Biden also received criticism for his entry into Ukraine president Zelenshy’s guest book, which communicated that Ukraine has Biden’s heart.
Now, on Sunday, Biden stumbled again boarding his plane here in the United States.
Western Journal noted:
When an 80-year-old man misses a step, stumbles and then catches himself, we resign it to the infirmities of age, move on and forget the whole thing.
But when it is the leader of the free world — whose fitness to hold that job will be coming under even more intense scrutiny in the months to come — the world notices. Hence the focus on President Joe Biden when he stumbled yet again while climbing up the stairs to Air Force One on Sunday after making a trip to Selma, Alabama, where he spoke at a civil rights event.
Twitter argued over whether the incident was an indication that there should be a concern for Biden’s competence, an opportunity for comedy or a chance to condemn Biden’s critics.
Again: https://t.co/MfvMmzqZzP
— 🇺🇸 Mike Davis 🇺🇸 (@mrddmia) March 6, 2023
— @stevenvoiceover (@stevenvoiceover) March 6, 2023
— SAVander (@SAVande07803615) March 6, 2023
We have all tripped going up stairs at some time in our life…but okay, hypocrites
— OhThom (@ThommyB8) March 6, 2023
Whenever Joe Biden stumbles on the stairs of Air Force One, the jet must trend. pic.twitter.com/OQNWv64Jrw
— Christopher Kiiza (@christokiiza) March 7, 2023
An average elderly person who repeatedly falls would usually start to use help when walking or climbing stairs. and the repeated falls of Joe Biden suggest that maybe he is getting to that stage of needing assistance. Biden has insisted that he will be running again for president in 2024, and the appearance of feebleness is an opening for any competitors to show their physical well-being.
Former President Donald Trump brought up the fall off the bike last year and made a good point about those who were standing next to Biden watching the President fall sideways. Trump spoke on Saturday at the Conservative Political Action Conference.
Trump referenced Biden’s fall off of a bicycle last summer after he stopped to talk to onlookers. “We all smile when he falls down stairs and things, it’s cute, when he falls off his bicycle,” Trump said. “You know what amazes me? The reporters didn’t catch him when the bike was going down, they were standing right next to him. They let him fall.”
Trump is himself notoriously fit, playing golf frequently and keeping a schedule that would wear out those half his age.
Joe Biden underwent a physical exam and neurological exam in the past month and was proclaimed “healthy” and “vigorous” by his doctors. One small lesion was removed from Biden’s chest at that examination, and was sent to be biopsied. Biden does have spinal arthritis, a previously broken foot, and neuropathy in his feet.
The neurological exam uncovered no findings of brain or central neurological disorder, such as a stroke, multiple sclerosis, or Parkinson’s disease, USA Today reported.
Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley is calling for changes in regard to the age and health of U.S. presidents. She advocates for “mandatory mental competency tests for politicians over 75 years old.” “when people send someone to Washington, they need to know they’re at the top of their game,” Haley told Fox News on Thursday. Haley has called for a new generation of leaders in the upcoming presidential race in 2024. Her only other declared opposition in the GOP primary is former President Donald Trump, who is 76 years old. Haley herself is 51 years old, presumably the “new generation” that she advocates as leaders.
Joe Biden has yet to formally declare that he is in the running for the Democratic presidential nomination for 2024, and Dems are speculating who will be a candidate if he does not run. Adding to the intrigue is the fact that no other Democrat is pushing publicly for Biden to bow out. Names such as Gavin Newsome, Hillary Clinton, Michelle Obama, and others are being quietly bantered around, but the party line seems not to dispute Biden’s own claim that he will be in the White House for another term.
