(WTRF) — President Joe Biden’s health is being called into question again after he fell in public Thursday.
This latest incident happened at the Air Force Academy commencement ceremony in Colorado Springs where Biden, 80, tripped and fell to the stage following his speech. Secret Service agents and Air Force officials helped Biden to his feet, then he returned to his seat, according to The Hill.
Did Biden trip on an object? Ben LaBolt, White House Communications Director, tweeted that there was a sandbag on the commencement stage.
The fall Thursday in Colorado is the third public mishap Biden has had so far this year.
Last month in May 2023, Biden appeared to almost fall down the steps at the G7 summit in Hiroshima, Japan. The incident happened when he tried to walk down a set of eight steps at the Itsukushima Shrine,
In February 2023, Biden tripped while going up the stairs of Air Force One as he prepared to depart Poland. He was there for a visit to eastern Europe, including a surprise visit to Kyiv, marking the anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The February 2023 incident marked at least the fourth time Biden has fallen on the steps of Air Force Once.
In March 2023, Biden again stumbled ascending Air Force One’s steps as the plane was leaving Alabama to travel to Delaware. Biden was in Selma, Alabama to mark the anniversary of a civil rights march.
In May 2022, Biden was walking up the steps of Air Force One at Andrews Air Force Base preparing to leave for Illinois when seemed to lose his balance.
He also stumbled in June 2022 climbing up the steps of Air Force One before taping an interview in Los Angeles with comedian Jimmy Kimmel.
Also in June 2022, Biden fell off his bicycle while taking a ride near his home in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. He said his shoe became stuck in the toe cage of the bike pedal.
Perhaps Biden’s most dramatic fall happened in March 2021 while the president was again climbing up the stairs of Air Force One. He tripped not once, but three times, before finally falling over onto the stairs. He then stood up and climbed the remaining stairs before giving a salute before the plane took off for Georgia.
The White House blamed the fall on windy weather with then-White House deputy press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, now press secretary, saying it was so windy that she nearly fell over herself. However, it was not windy enough to stop Air Force One from taking off.
In November 2020 when Biden was president-elect, he broke his foot after a shower when he says he tripped on a rug while chasing his dog and pulling its tail. He was placed in a walking boot for the injury.
Biden’s daughter, Ashley Biden, reportedly wrote of alleged sexual abuse by her father in a diary and allegedly recounted times she showered with him when she was young.
President Joe Biden’s daughter reportedly writes of alleged abuse in diary
Now age 80, Biden is the oldest individual ever to serve as president. According to The Hill, Biden’s “age and fitness for office is likely to be a key factor as he runs for reelection in 2024.”
According to The Hill, Biden says it’s “fair” for voters to “wonder about his age. But he has responded by saying that he remains up for the job, and those who are unsure should simply watch him and the rigorous schedule he keeps.”
“The only thing I can say is they’re going to see a race, and they’re going to judge whether I have or don’t have it,” Biden said in April after announcing his reelection bid, per The Hill.
In February 2023, The White House released a report of Biden’s current health summary written by Dr. Kevin O’Connor, D.O., FAAP, Physician to the President.
In this report, O’Connor, stated, “The President remains fit for duty, and fully executes all of his responsibilities without any exemptions or accommodations.”
He noted that Biden has a stiffened ambulatory gait, which is medical “team concluded that much of his stiffness is in fact a result of degenerative (“wear and tear”) osteoarthritic changes (or spondylosis) of his spine.”
You can read Biden’s full medical report here or below:
As of June 2023, it appears that Biden has fallen or tripped at least eight times since winning the 2020 election. Seven instances happened in public. One was at his home after a shower. Four incidents happened on the stairs of Air Force One.