Shortly after President Biden fell during the U.S Air Force Academy commencement ceremony on Thursday, former President Trump said the incident was “not inspiring.”
Trump responded from Iowa, where Republican rival Gov. Ron DeSantis is campaigning in the state. The former president seemed to find out about Biden’s tumble on the spot while fielding questions.
“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 later added.
The White House said Biden tripped over a sandbag and was not injured. He delivered the Air Force Academy’s commencement address earlier in the day.
Biden’s fall Thursday comes almost two years after he fell on the steps while boarding Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews.
Biden also recently stumbled at the G7 Summit in Japan but caught himself. Following the incident, Financial Times editor Edward Luce asked Hillary Clinton if that was a concern.
“There was that heart-stopping moment when he almost fell over coming down the stairs a day or two ago,” Luce said at the Financial Times Weekend Festival on May 20. “He didn’t use a railing, and Jill wasn’t there with him.”
“Every time that happens, your heart is in your mouth because these things could be consequential. Is that a concern?” he asked.
Clinton responded by saying Biden’s age is a legitimate issue.
“It’s a concern for anyone,” Clinton said. “We’ve had presidents who had fallen before who were a lot younger, and people didn’t go into heart palpitations.”
“But his age is an issue, and people have every right to consider it,” she added. “But, you know, he has this great saying — and I think he’s right — don’t judge him for running against the Almighty but against the alternative. I am of the camp that I think he’s determined to run; he has a good record that, three years ago, people would not have predicted would have gotten done.”
– Fox News