A new episode has emerged, featuring two figures taking turns at the helm of the nation as former President Donald Trump responded to President Joe Biden’s stumble during a rally in Iowa Thursday.
The leader of the free world encountered a minor misstep during a speaking engagement at the U.S. Air Force Academy. Trump was apparently informed of the incident during a rally on Thursday, treating his successor alternately with pity and insinuations of weakness as he addressed the issue on the spot.
“He actually fell down? Well, I hope he wasn’t hurt,” Trump said. “The whole thing is crazy. You’ve got to be careful about that … even if you have to tiptoe down the ramp.”
The moment echoed Trump’s atypically tactful and subdued response to the death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg in 2020 in which he contributed that the late Supreme Court Justice “led an amazing life” before striding up Air Force One without incident, his stride uninterrupted by any tumbling on the steps.
“That’s a bad place to fall … that’s not inspiring,” Trump added.
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Biden has been filmed falling multiple times throughout his presidency. Never renowned for his grace, the president’s clumsiness has seemingly only been exacerbated by his advanced age. These clips have become a source of pity and amusement for right-leaning social media, but these incidents raise serious concerns about Biden’s presidency.
When Gerald Ford was filmed tumbling on the steps to Air Force One, the incident was used to portray him as a buffoon or an ignoramus. While the characterization may have been unfair in retrospect, the label stuck and seemed to contribute to Ford’s defeat in the 1976 election. For President Biden, the perception of weakness could be a liability, especially as the president would be 82 years old at the beginning of a prospective second term.
