President Joe Biden nearly fell down the stairs of Air Force One during a trip to Michigan this week. The slip traveling down the stairs was caught by the president while holding a railing. The near-fall is the latest in a string of incidents that elicited concern about the 80-year-old president’s mental and physical health.
The president was able to avoid a full fall and continued his walk down to the tarmac.
The president was departing the plane during a trip to visit striking members of the United Auto Workers (UAW) in Michigan this week. Biden visited the picket line of the striking workers and spoke for about 20 minutes.
While the president was able to avoid falling entirely, this is not the first time that the president has shown trouble with the stairs of Air Force One. He has fallen up the stairs of the jet several times since becoming president in 2021.
Biden almost slips down short stairs as he exits Air Force One in Michigan
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Biden, now the oldest living president, has suffered from a number of other stumbles and falls during his time in the White House. In June the president fell on the stage of the U.S. Air Force Academy graduation in Colorado. He blamed a sandbag on the stage for his spill.
Furthermore, after the fall, the president bumped his head exiting the presidential helicopter, Marine Force One.
The slips made by the president also followed an interview made earlier this summer in which he had visible crease marks on his face. The White House then released a statement indicating that the president was wearing a breathing mask at night to treat sleep apnea, a common disorder shared disproportionately by older Americans.
An Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll from last month found that a large majority of Americans believe that Biden is too old to serve another term.
A majority of Republicans, Democrats and independents all believe that Biden is too old for the position, totaling 77% of all adults. This included 69% of Democrats and 74% of independents who feel the same.