‘I Got Sandbagged’: Joe Biden Tries to Explain Big Fall

TOPSHOT - US President Joe Biden is helped up after falling during the graduation ceremony
BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty
Wendell Husebø

President Joe Biden referenced his terrible tumble on Thursday at the U.S. Air Force Academy graduation ceremony by trying to explain to reporters why the concerning incident occurred.

“I got sandbagged,” Biden shouted at the press, waving his arms, before pretending to jog into the White House.

Earlier in the day, Biden fell to the floor of the stage over what appeared to be a sandbag, as Breitbart News reported.

“He’s fine,” White House communications director Ben LaBolt told reporters after the scare.

In February, Biden released a physical assessment that found he suffers from neuropathy in his feet and atrial fibrillation, among other ailments. The White House refused to disclose to lawmakers if he took a cognitive test.

Biden’s health is a worry for some Democrats.

“I think Biden has a very credible record on which to run. The way they navigated the debt ceiling negotiation shows the value of experience,” former senior adviser to President Barack Obama, David Axelrod, told Politico. “His argument about wisdom is a real argument.”

“This is a liability that comes with age. Incidents like these are going to be blown up. They are going to be a greater concern than it would be if he were twenty years younger,” he said. “This is a burden he is going to have to overcome. This is going to be an ongoing challenge.”

Ouch! Biden Stumbles Multiple Times Boarding Air Force One

C-SPAN

Other Democrats are not as worried as Axelrod.

Kate Bedingfield, who LaBolt replaced as communications director, excused the incident as just a common occurrence, citing a moment when Obama tripped.

“I know I personally have never, ever tripped over anything a day in my life, not once. I’m sure these top Democrats haven’t either. Mountain goats, these folks!” she posted on Twitter.

“Shhhhh don’t tell ‘top Democrats.’” We all know how this worked out for President Obama’s re-elect,” she wrote, posting a video of Obama tripping at a rally.

According to a Yahoo News/YouGov poll, strong majorities of Americans have concerns about Biden’s “health and mental acuity,” including three in four Democrats, with 50 percent being either “very” or “somewhat” concerned and 26 percent being “slightly” concerned, a May poll found.

A majority of voters sampled by Quinnipiac polling this week also believe President Joe Biden is too old to serve a second term as president of the United States.

CRASH LANDING! Biden Falls at U.S. Air Force Academy Commencement

Follow Wendell Husebø on Twitter @WendellHusebø. He is the author of Politics of Slave Morality.

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