PresidentJoe Bidenfell on stage shortly after delivering a commencement address at the United States Air Force Academy on Thursday. Per a White House pool report, the president, who is 80, “fell down on stage after handing out the last diploma to the Air Force cadets.”
A follow-up pool report clarified that the president had been walking back to his seat after delivering his address, when he fell. “He appeared to have tripped on a black sandbag on the stage. When he fell, pointed to the black sandbag suggesting that’s what he tripped on,” the pool report detailed.
Susan Walsh/AP/Shutterstock
Reached for comment, the White House directed PEOPLE to a statement from communications director Ben LaBolt, who echoed the pool report on Twitter. “He’s fine,” LaBolt wrote. “There was a sandbag on stage while he was shaking hands.”
Axios reporter Alex Thompson took to Twitter to share that some sources have privately worried about Biden falling or tripping in the lead-up to the 2024 presidential race.
“Some top Democrats have privately been saying for months that they’re nervous about Biden tripping again on the trail. Today he did,” Thompson wrote.
Hours later, a follow-up pool report noted that the president hit his head while exiting Marine One shortly after 7 p.m.
“He bumped his head on the doorframe while exiting the helicopter but otherwise appeared spry, wearing a blue suit with a matching tie and trademark aviators,” the pool report said. “Smiling, waving, and gingerly approaching the pool, he joked, ‘I got sandbagged’ in reference to the fall earlier today. Then he skipped once, holding his smile, and kept walking.”
Last June, Biden made headlineswhen he fell off his bikewhile attempting to greet a group of reporters and residents at the Cape Henlopen State Park in Delaware. He did not suffer any injuries.
“I’m good,” Biden said at the time, after a Secret Service agent helped him up. As he walked towards a member of the crowd, the group clapped and cheered for the president as he continued to greet them.
The fall comes as arecent pollshowed that a majority of voters have concerns about Biden’s age as he runs for a second term, given that he would be 86 at the end of a potential second term.
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Biden was 78 at his inaugural ceremony, making him the oldest person to be sworn in as commander-in-chief in U.S. history. Trump was previously the oldest-ever president to take office, and was 70 at his 2017 inauguration.
source: people.com
