President Joe Biden has responded to his fall onstage at the US Air Force Academy. While handing out diplomas at a graduation ceremony Biden tripped over a sandbag, which he later poked fun at: “I got sandbagged!” According to White House officials, Biden is fine, per BBC.
“There was a sandbag on stage while he was shaking hands,” White House communications director Ben LaBolt wrote on Twitter. “He's fine.”
Biden's fall came after him standing on stage for an hour and a half shaking the hands of the 921 graduating cadets. He stumbled on a sandbag that was on stage. He was helped back onto his feet by an Air Force official and two members of his Secret Service detail. The President was completely unhurt by the fall.
After the fall, Biden was back on his feet. He walked back to his seat unassisted, and when the ceremony ended, he jogged back to his motorcade. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre saw Biden boarding the plane with “a big smile” on his face.
At 80 years old, President Joe Biden is the oldest serving United States president. If re-elected in 2024, he would be 82 years old. But he's physically fit to serve, according to his last physical examination in February. White House physician Dr Kevin O'Connor wrote: “The President remains fit for duty, and fully executes all of his responsibilities without any exemptions or accommodations.”
Biden isn't the first commander-in-chief to fall on camera. He's following in Former President Barack Obama and Former President Gerald Ford's footsteps. Obama tripped walking up stairs at a 2012 event, while in 1975 President Gerald Ford fell down the stairs at Air Force One.
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