Biden jokes after someone falls at his speech: 'I want the press to know that wasn't me'
President Biden wants the media to know: That sound of someone falling isn’t him taking a tumble.
The 80-year-old commander in chief made a balance-related quip while delivering remarks about labor unions in Illinois on Thursday.
In the middle of Biden’s speech, a crashing sound could be heard.
The president turned his head and asked, “Are you OK?”
“I want the press to know that wasn’t me,” he cracked to laughs from the audience.
The source of the sound was someone apparently tripping on a riser at the event, according to a White House pool report.
Biden has faced questions about his age and mental and physical fitness from GOP critics and some Democrats following several public spills.
In June, he fell onstage at an Air Force Academy graduation. The White House blamed a sandbag that it said caused the president to trip.
Last year, Biden fell off his bike during a morning ride in Rehoboth Beach, Del.
Asked about the graduation fall, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters in June, “Other presidents have had similar situations, as you know, and I’m sure you reported on the last president, who has had a similar situation.”
“And so look, things happen,” Jean-Pierre said at the time. “This is a president that delivers and will continue to deliver for the American people, and that’s what he cares about.”