A minor fall of the American president, but a fall in public in front of the television cameras. This is what happened to Joe Biden this Thursday in Colorado.
US President Joe Biden, 80, is “well” according to the White House, after a seemingly harmless fall at a military ceremony on Thursday in Colorado Springs, in the western United States. The Democrat, who had just presented diplomas to Air Force Academy students in Colorado, fell forward, landing on his knees and hands, after apparently tripping over a black bag.
Joe Biden then got up with the help of a soldier at his side and his bodyguards. The president, the candidate for the 2024 election against Republican Donald Trump in particular, attended the end of the ceremony, not seeming immediately affected by the fall. He then took the plane back to Washington and climbed the stairs to board without stopping to respond to the journalists present on the spot.
“He is fine, there was a sandbag on the stage as he shook hands,” his communications director, Ben LaBolt, tweeted. The 80-year-old commander-in-chief, candidate for a second term, has just fallen during a public event mediated by the White House.
His political opponents, and in particular Donald Trump, have become accustomed to exploiting unflattering images of the president, recalls our correspondent in Washington, Guillaume Naudin. Joe Biden had already fallen on his bike, stopping in front of the cameras a few months ago. When asked directly about his age, he has a usual response that might start to get awkward: “Look at me.”