Karine Jean-Pierre shrugs off Biden fall, saying other presidents had same

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on Tuesday shrugged off questions about President Joe Biden’s downfall last week, pointing out that other presidents have had similar incidents and arguing that what really counts is his record.

She pushed back on questions in her briefing about whether White House staff will change procedures given Biden’s tumble at the Air Force Academy and his near-fall in Hiroshima when he tripped on a flight of stairs.

“So let me say you paid close attention to that particular situation,” she told the reporter who asked about Biden’s tendency to stumble. ‘I actually didn’t see that. I was with him and Hiroshima – this is something I wasn’t aware of.”

She pointed out that other presidents have had similar problems, including Donald Trump, but she didn’t address the health risks an 80-year-old faces when they fall.

‘Things happen. Other presidents have had similar situations, as you know, and I’m sure you reported on the last president who had a similar situation,” she said.

And look, things happen. This is a president who is and will continue to deliver results for the American people and that is what he cares about.”

During his tenure, there were concerns about Donald Trump’s health.

During a performance at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in June 2020, he had trouble lifting a glass of water and seemed to have trouble coming down a slope.

Trump also did not exercise — Biden exercises almost daily — and ate a junk food diet of cheeseburgers and Diet Coke. He has that in common with Biden, who also prefers comfort foods like spaghetti and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

Other presidents have fallen.

Gerald Ford famously tripped as he descended the stairs of Air Force One, leading to Saturday Night Live trying to make fun of him.

But the issue is serious when it comes to Biden, the oldest elected president in US history. If he wins a second term, he would be 86 when it ends.

Falls are the leading cause of injuries and injury-related deaths among Americans over 65, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

And the image of Biden sprawled on stage at the Air Force Academy graduation ceremony last week — and then aided by officials — renewed questions that were already there about his stamina.

Biden has dismissed questions about his age, especially as he campaigns for a second term in the White House.

His doctor has stated that he is healthy and fit to serve, but has admitted that the president’s gait is “stiff.” Biden has stumbled before — twice aboard Air Force One: in March 2023 and in March 2021.

But the incident at the Air Force Academy quickly went viral and showed Biden’s vulnerability to the age issue.

And the topic probably won’t go away any time soon.

Biden is running for a second term and will be on the campaign trail in a way he wasn’t during the 2020 campaign, when most of his events were virtual due to the COVID pandemic.

This time around, he’ll be on public display – and under more surveillance – in a number of events and settings, meaning it could be a matter of time before another trip or fall occurs.

On Friday, Biden and first lady Jill Biden will travel to North Carolina — a key state in the presidential election — to discuss employee training programs.

To that end, the president has several events at the White House this week, including a meeting with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Thursday.

And Americans are concerned about his age, polls show.

In an ABC News/Washington Post poll last month, 68% of Americans said Biden is too old for another term as president.