President Joe Biden stumbled and fell on stage while handing out diplomas at the U.S. Air Force Academy graduation ceremony in Colorado on Thursday.
The White House said he was “fine” after tripping over a sandbag that was holding his teleprompter.
Biden, 80, was delivering the commencement address and congratulating the graduates when he tripped near the podium and landed on his knees.
He was quickly helped up by an Air Force officer and two Secret Service agents. He pointed to the sandbag as the cause of his fall and walked away without assistance. He continued to greet people for the rest of the ceremony.
This was not the first time Biden had a mishap on stage. He also stumbled while visiting the Itsukushima Shrine in Hiroshima, Japan, a few weeks ago. And he has fallen before while climbing the stairs of Air Force One.
Biden’s age and health have been a subject of scrutiny and speculation, especially among his political opponents. He is the oldest sitting president in history and would be 86 at the end of a second term if he wins reelection in 2024.
A recent ABC News/Washington Post poll found that 62% of Americans thought Biden was not in good enough physical health to serve effectively.
One of his critics was former President Donald Trump, who taunted Biden over his fall during a campaign rally in Iowa on Thursday.
Trump told his supporters that it was not inspiring for the Air Force graduates to see their commander-in-chief fall down.
“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.”
“That’s a bad place to fall… that’s not inspiring,” he added.