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Saturday, March 20, 2021

White House blames bad weather for Biden’s triple fall

A White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said the president was blown off his paces because “it’s pretty windy outside.”

• March 20, 2021
Joe Biden
Joe Biden falling

President Joe Biden’s triple stumble on Air Force One on Friday was due to windy conditions, the White House said.

Mr Biden, 78, made headlines after a video where he stumbled three times and fell while climbing steps to the presidential plane surfaced in the online community. 

He was said to be departing for a programme in Atlanta to meet with Asian American leaders in the wake of recent attacks on a row of spas, during which six Asian women were killed.

A White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said the president was blown off his paces because “it’s pretty windy outside.”  

Emphasising the unfavourable weather condition, Ms Jean-Pierre noted that “I almost fell coming up the steps myself,” she said, adding that Mr Biden “is doing 100 percent.”

The National Weather Service, Joint Base Andrews in Maryland also confirmed that the state was experiencing winds of more than 20 miles per hour with gusts up to 25 mph.

White House communications director Kate Bedingfield in a tweet, said “I know folks have seen that President Biden slipped on his way up the stairs to AF1, but I’m happy to report that he is just fine and did not even require any attention from the medical team who travels with him. Nothing more than a misstep on the stairs.”

The president in December last year fractured his foot while playing with his dog, Major, making him spend weeks in the hospital.

“I got out of the shower. I got a dog and anybody who’s been around my house knows — dropped, little pup dropped a ball in front of me. And for me to grab the ball,” New York Post quoted Mr Biden to have said.

“I’m walking through this little alleyway to get to the bedroom. And I grabbed the ball like this and he ran. And I’m joking, running after him and grab his tail. And what happened was that he slid on a throw rug. And I tripped on the rug he slid on. That’s what happened.”

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