White House blames Biden’s fall on ‘tricky’ Air Force One steps – and won’t say if he was treated by doc
JOE Biden’s stumble as he boarded Air Force One was a result of the “tricky” stairs, the White House said on Monday, insisting the president was “100 percent fine”.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki wouldn’t say if Biden had been treated by a doctor after he slipped three times while climbing the steps onto the presidential 747 aircraft as he flew to Atlanta on Friday.
The fall led to concerns for the 78-year-old president’s health and calls for his impeachment began to trend on Twitter as it was questioned if he’s fit enough to serve.
It is still not clear if he required medical attention.
The White house had initially blamed Biden’s fall on a windy day before stating on Monday that the steps themselves were at fault, according to The Hill.
“I don’t know if you’ve been up those steps, they’re a little tricky sometimes,” Psaki told a reporter asking about the president’s welfare during her press briefing.
However, when pushed further by reporters Psaki failed to answer whether or not Biden needed to be examined by the doctor that travels with him.
“I’m not aware of that being required. There’s, of course, a doctor who travels with the president, any president of the United States, but I’m not aware of it needing actual, extensive medical attention,” she said, noting that Biden weas seen later in the days walking around Atlanta.
“I’m not trying to be a, there’s a doctor who travels with him. He was walking around, as you all saw, by the end of the day so I’m just trying to be completely transparent. He is absolutely fine.”
The Biden fall came as he traveled to Atlanta just before noon on Friday to meet with Asian American community leaders following the deadly mass shooting in the city last week.
The president had grabbed onto the stair railing when he first tumbled to steady himself but eventually fell to his knees as he tumbled again and then for a third time.
Biden got back up and walked at a slower pace to the top of the stairs before turning to salute those gathered.
He was later seen standing and walking around the Centers for Disease Control headquarters as he and Vice President Kamala Harris were briefed on the COVID-19 variants.
And he also visited Emory College where he walked around the campus for meetings with local officials and Asian American groups.
On Friday, White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre explained it was the windy conditions that caused Biden to stumble.
“It’s pretty windy outside. It’s very windy. I almost fell coming up the steps myself,” she said.
However, at the time of the fall, wind gusts at Joint Andrews Base were measured in at 19 mph, which is the Beaufort Scale categorizes as a “fresh breeze”.
Biden, 78, is the oldest US president to ever be inaugurated.
Comparatively, Ronald Regan was 77 when he left office, and 69 when he was sworn into power.
Biden’s predecessor, Donald Trump, meanwhile, was 70 when he was elected and 74 when he departed the White House in January.
Long before Biden assumed the role as commander in chief, concerns have routinely been raised about his mental acuity, with a series of countless verbal slips doing little to alleviate concerns.
Most recently, a day before falling up the steps of Air Force One, Biden accidentally referred to Vice President Kamala Harris as President Harris during a Thursday press conference.
The slip-up came while Biden was lauding his administration’s progress toward vaccinating 100 million Americans before his first 100 days in office.
“Now when President Harris and I took a virtual tour of a vaccination center in Arizona not long ago, one of the nurses on that, on that tour injecting people, giving vaccinations, said that each shot was like administering a dose of hope,” he said.
Earlier, on March 9, Biden fumbled over his words and forgot the name of his Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin.
“I want to thank Sec – the former general – I keep calling him ‘General,'” Biden said.
‘My – the guy who runs that outfit over there. I want to make sure we thank the Secretary for all he’s done to try to implement what we’ve just talked about, and for recommending these two women for promotion,” he continued.
He also previously introduced his granddaughter as his son during an Election Day speech in Philadelphia, and, in 2008, told a State Senator in a wheelchair to “stand up” for the crowd.
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Former White House physician, Dr. Ronny Jackson, said Biden’s latest slip on Friday raises a “major red flag” about his health.
“I served as White House physician under THREE Presidents. I’ve seen what it takes physically AND mentally to do the job,” he tweeted.
“I can tell you right now that the way Biden is hiding from the public is a MAJOR red flag. Something’s not right!”
In November, Biden was walking in a boot after breaking his foot while playing with his dog, Major.
His doctor insisted at the time that he was otherwise in good health.