After President Joe Biden tripped and fell during a U.S. Air Force Academy commencement ceremony Thursday, a number of media outlets claimed that Republicans were “pouncing” on the president’s apparent weakness.
“Given voters’ concern about his age, this is an image that his critics are already capitalizing on and pouncing on,” ABC White House correspondent Mary Bruce said during “World News Tonight” that evening.
“That fall has already become a talking point for Republicans running for the White House,” said “CBS Evening News” anchor Norah O’Donnell.
“This is not a helpful image for the White House,” acknowledged White House correspondent Kristen Welker during “NBC Nightly News,” adding that Biden was thanking cadets for “choosing service over self.”
BIDEN TUMBLES DURING AIR FORCE COMMENCEMENT CEREMONY
During a campaign speech in Iowa, former President Donald Trump also reacted to Biden’s fall.
“He actually fell down? Well I hope he wasn’t hurt,” Trump said. “That’s a bad place to take a fall,” he added, saying it was “not inspiring.”
“You gotta be careful about that because you don’t want that, even if you have to tiptoe down a ramp,” Trump said, referencing how he himself carefully walked down a ramp during a West Point commencement ceremony in 2020, which sparked media criticism at the time.
NewsBusters found that CNN and MSNBC alone devoted 55 minutes the Trump incident in 2020. CNN guests speculated on Trump’s “physical decline” and “neurological” problems with Trump. MSNBC anchor Yasmin Vossoughian said that Trump’s slow walk down the ramp raised “questions” about his health.
The New York Times ran the headline, “Trump’s Halting Walk Down Ramp Raises New Health Questions.”
Then-candidate Biden mocked Trump in the midst of a presidential campaign for his apparent weakness.
“Look at how he steps and look at how I step. Watch how I run up ramps and he stumbles down ramps,” Biden joked. “Come on.”
The White House said Thursday that Biden tripped over a sandbag and was not injured by the fall.
“He’s fine. There was a sandbag on stage while he was shaking hands,” White House communications director Ben LaBolt tweeted.
Biden’s fall Thursday comes about two years after he fell on the steps while boarding Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews.
Following the March 2021 incident, the White House said he was “doing 100% fine” and blamed the stumble on the gusty conditions.
Fox News’ Thomas Catenacci, Adam Shaw and Joe Schoffstall contributed to this report.
