The 80-year-old President of the United States, Joe Biden has felt slightly embarrassed after falling to the ground during an appearance at the Air Force graduation ceremony in Colorado on Thursday, June 1, 2023.
Biden delivered the opening address and proceeded to shake hands with graduates, after which he fell near the podium and was quickly assisted by those around him in returning to his feet.
However, the 80-year-old president walked back to his seat unassisted after the incident.
He had fallen before while trying to board the Air Force One out of Joint Base Andrews in 2021, and again in 2022 while cycling in his home state of Delaware.
Laughing off his embarrassing fall at the Air Force Academy commencement ceremony as he arrived safely back at the White House on Thursday, he said; “I got sandbagged.”
Meanwhile, Ben LaBolt, the White House communications director, clarified that the US president only tripped over a sandbag that was left on stage after videos of the incident began to circulate online.
Karine Jean-Pierre, White House press secretary, also said Biden was “totally fine”.
Biden is the oldest sitting US president in history and would be 86 at the end of his second term should he win his re-election bid in 2024.
Some citizens had expressed concerns about his age and health but the US president said it would be up to voters to judge “whether or not I have it or don’t have it”.