Joe Biden almost took another tumble while walking up the stairs of Air Force One after a busy week of presidential duties for the octogenarian.
Biden, 80, was around halfway up the staircase of his presidential aircraft during a trip to Finland when he appeared to lose balance and almost fall flat on his face.
He was boarding the jet at the Helsinki-Vantaan International Airport following a visit for a two-day NATO summit in Lithuania with Nordic leaders.
The president managed to stave off public embarrassment, but it comes after questions were raised about his touring schedule.
His own officials leaped to his defense when he missed a dinner in Vilnius with NATO counterparts, citing his busy diary.
An official told reporters Tuesday that “Biden is not attending tonight’s dinner with NATO leader”, adding that he had “four full days of official business and is preparing for a big speech tomorrow, in addition to another day at the summit”.
But last month, the New York Times reported that his officials usually adjust the president’s schedule to ensure he does not become too physically worn down, given his age.
An official was quoted as saying: “In private, some officials acknowledge that they make what they consider reasonable accommodations not to physically tax an aging president.
“His staff schedules most of his public appearances between noon and 4pm and leaves him alone on weekends as much as possible.”
In February, Biden appeared to have issues keeping his balance when coming back from a trip from Warsaw, Poland.
And a significant tumble also occurred when an Air Force officer and two members of the Secret Service had to help him up after he tripped over a sandbag onstage at the Air Force academy graduation ceremony in Colorado.
Republicans have repeatedly questioned whether Biden is fit enough to run for a second term in office in 2024, citing incidents like these as evidence that his old age is taking a toll.
Peggy Grande, a former staff member on Donald Trump’s White House team, told Daily Express US: “Although his age is only a number and many of his same age are still sharp, in Biden’s case his mental acuity is in question and a sharp cognitive decline is evidenced nearly daily.
“His vacant stares, his confusion about people, places and statistics, his jumbled words, misstatements that even his own White House walks back from…show that he is not mentally up to the job. Nor is he physically strong enough – falling up, and nearly falling down, stairs.”
And it appears almost six in 10 Americans believe Biden is physically and mentally incapable of being President of the US too, according to a poll conducted for Daily Express US.
The polling was split between Democrats (37 percent), Independents (35 percent) and Republicans (28 percent).
It found that more Americans (57 percent) think he is physically and mentally incapable of being President than those who believe he is still capable (39 percent).
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