President Joe Biden’s stumbling up the stairs of Air Force One reminded some on social media of a similar incident involving former Vice President Mike Pence.
Republican Pence, then Trump’s second-in-command, also struggled to get to the cabin door on a flight in June 2020. Images of that incident resurfaced after Biden clips were widely shared on Friday.
Former VP Pence was trying to board Air Force Two on a flight to Wisconsin when he stumbled before reaching the top of the stairs, with his hands outstretched to prevent him from falling. He recovered and ended up waving and giving the crowd a thumbs up.
A clip of the incident, originally posted last year, was obtained on Twitter after Biden’s trip.
Former Republican Congressman Joe Walsh shared the video, writing, “Look, Pence stumbled too.” Your retweet has been enjoyed more than 9,000 times since Friday night.
Daily Beast general editor Molly Jong-Fast also shared the clip, adding, “When the fox does 3 hours on Biden’s trip tonight, remind them that Pence did it first.”
His tweet has been liked more than 17,000 times since it was posted on Friday night.
President Biden was leaving for Atlanta, Georgia, from Andrews Joint Base in Maryland on Friday, when he took his first steps relatively quickly before stumbling halfway.
He recovered, stumbled again and momentarily fell to one knee. Rubbing his knee, he got up and finished the stairs at a slower pace before turning and greeting the military.
The cameras captured Biden’s strange moments and the images were widely shared on social media.
In November, Biden, 78, fractured his foot while playing with his dog, although his doctor said the wounds healed completely.
Conservative voices used the incident to suggest that he was in poor health, such as Donald Trump Jr, son of former President Donald Trump, who tweeted: “Don’t mind the fact that the President of the United States is so fragile that he was knocked down several times by a gust of wind. Nothing to see here, guys!”
It occurs shortly after a gaffe in which Biden referred to Vice President Kamala Harris as “President Harris”.
With regard to the latest incident, the White House’s deputy press secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre, told reporters that no harm was done and that the president “is 100% fine.
“As you know, there is a lot of wind outside, a lot of wind. I almost fell down the stairs,” she told reporters on her way to Atlanta.
KAMIL KRZACZYNSKI / Getty Images