Inside White House's plan to stop Biden falling over as they seek to avoid mockery
Reuters
Biden's latest fall saw him slip on Air Force One ahead of joining the picket line in Michigan
Joe Biden is taking urgent steps to avoid any more falls after a series of embarrassing blunders.
Ahead of next year's election, the US president is said to be taking precautions such as wearing tennis shoes and using shorter stairs on Air Force One to prevent further accidents.
The "don't-trip strategy" has been put in place after a recent poll showed that three-quarters of Americans consider him too old to serve a second term in office, according to Axios.
Biden is said to have been meeting with physical therapist, Drew Contreras who also worked with Barack Obama to help improve his balance since 2021.
After tripping over a sandbag and falling over at the US Air Force Academy in June, the President has been more regularly wearing athletic footwear to avoid slipping.
He has also has using the short stairs on Air Force One, entering the plane on a lower deck than before.
In March 2021, Biden tripped three times, which lead to him falling to his knees, while going up the longer staircase leading to the plane.
Biden's balance difficulties are likely the result of what his physician has diagnosed as "a combination of significant spinal arthritis" and "mild post-fracture foot arthritis."
His physician has also told the president to exercise most mornings performing “proprioceptive maintenance maneuvers”.
In his most recent blunder, Biden almost fell down the stairs on the Air Force One earlier today.
The US President used the lower stairs of the jet in Michigan to meet with striking auto workers only to suffer a near miss.
Polls show that an increasing number of American voters are growing more concerned about his age, with many doubting he has the cognitive ability to serve another term as president.
The 80-year-old is the oldest president in American history, and would be 86 upon completion of a second term should he successfully secure one.
White House spokesman Andrew Bates dismissed the Axios report as fitting “an unfortunate pattern of media attempting to sensationalise something that has long been public.”
“This isn’t new,” the spokesman said, “it was proactively and transparently disclosed.”