AGED CARE: Joe Biden's Aides Make 'Intentional Shift' to Avoid President's Literal 'Missteps' Boarding Air Force One
July 20 2023, Published 6:00 p.m. ET
President Joe Biden was reportedly using "lower stairs" on Air Force One after suffering a series of literal missteps, RadarOnline.com has learned.
White House insiders claimed there was an "intentional shift" to reposition the height of the moveable staircase that Biden, 80, used to access the presidential plane after he tripped multiple times.
Biden's balance — or rather, lack thereof — has quickly shaped up to be his version of Barack Obama's infamous tan suit "controversy," which critics ridiculed at length.
After several incidents of the president losing his footing in public made headlines, prompting debate over his age, two Biden aides reportedly decided "to make his travel easier" and "limit the possibility for missteps."
According to a Politico report, Biden's advisers "privately acknowledged an intentional shift to steer the 80-year-old president to the lower stairs more often to make his travel easier and limit the possibility for missteps."
The report additionally noted an unusual change in footwear for the president, who recently swapped out dress shoes for sneakers.
"The sneakers are another concession to comfort necessitated by age," the outlet claimed."One person close to the president said Biden used to always resist wearing anything other than dress shoes, believing that any other footwear look was unpresidential. But he has eased up on that stance in recent months."
Three weeks ago, Bloomberg reporter Justin Sink asked Biden Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre for comment on his use of lowered stairs on a trip to New York and if the "intentional shift" indicated that the president was experiencing "mobility problems."
"I don’t have any decision process to walk through," Jean-Pierre told Sink. "I’m sure there’s a protocol that’s used for the — for Air Force One. I just don’t have one."
Critics pointed to Biden's multiple trips going up Air Force One's staircase, which aligned with a further claim of protecting his public image as his age was increasingly scrutinized heading into the 2024 election.
Biden's aides were said to have increased efforts to "limit situations where any signs of physical frailty might be on heightened display."
The report did confirm that the use of a shorten staircase wasn't unusual, however, lowered stairs were often reserved for poor weather conditions, presumably to reduce the risk of injury regardless of age.
Despite his balance blunders, Biden has been outspoken about his age as an advantage in public office.
Back in May, the Democrat defended his senior status during an MSNBC interview and said he knows "more than the vast majority of people."