(Headline USA) President Joe Biden has been using a shorter staircase to board and debark Air Force One over the past several weeks, likely due to his heightened risk of physical injury from his frequent trips and falls.
Video footage of the president shows Biden taking a short staircase that leads to the undercarriage of the presidential plane rather than the long staircase to the cabin that presidents normally take.
No more big stairs for Joe!
They are so afraid of Biden tripping as he boards Air Force One that they are making him take the small stairs into the bottom of the plane. pic.twitter.com/9K1Mg1qkAU— Brick Suit (@Brick_Suit) June 19, 2023
The switch to the shorter staircase seems to have occurred right after his public fall at the Air Force Academy’s graduation in the beginning of June.
The 80-year-old at one point turned to make his way back to his seat and started to motion as if he were going to jog. He then appeared to trip and fell down on the stage.
BREAKING: Biden takes a big fall on stage just now at the U.S. Air Force Academy graduation pic.twitter.com/GxkMbpyoNo
— Jake Schneider (@jacobkschneider) June 1, 2023
The next week, Biden began using Air Force One’s shorter staircase:
President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden arrive aboard Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews, following a day trip to North Carolina, on Friday. pic.twitter.com/vR763cgek4
— Al Drago (@Al_Drago) June 10, 2023
Even with the shorter staircase, however, Biden still seems to have difficulty moving around. Last week, he appeared to trip coming down the stairs after he landed in Delaware.
Biden almost stumbles getting off Air Force One as he arrives in Delaware for a weekend getaway at his beach home.
Biden has spent nearly 40% of his presidency on vacation. pic.twitter.com/1gmJHuNhE0
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) June 17, 2023
Biden’s age and mental acuity have become a rising concern among voters since he was elected in 2021. T
hese concerns have led to suggestions that the president is too senile and old to run the country, with some worrying that Vice President Kamala Harris may soon become the president.
Even members of Biden’s own political party have voiced concerns about his physical and mental faculties. Alex Thompson, a reporter for Axios, revealed that “some top Democrats have privately been saying for months that they’re nervous about Biden tripping again on the trail. Today he did.
Even Hillary Clinton acknowledged that “people have every right to consider” Biden’s age for the 2024 campaign.
And, after Biden’s Air Force Academy fall, former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey blasted the Democratic Party for trying to shut out other Democratic presidential options.
“Open the Democrat primaries and debates. This isn’t fair to anyone,” he said.
