The White House on Friday shrugged off any concerns about the US president's well-being, informing the public that Biden is "just fine," despite having a bit of a stumble when boarding Air Force One earlier in the day.
Kate Bedingfield, the White House communications director, issued a statement following the incident, stating that the commander-in-chief sustained no serious injuries during the trip-up.
"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," Bedingfield noted.
"Nothing more than a misstep on the stairs."
The White House official's remarks came moments after Karine Jean-Pierre, who serves as the White House deputy press secretary, told reporters on board the presidential plane that the president was "doing fine."
Jean-Pierre also informed the press pool that the day's strong winds had even caused her to nearly fall while ascended the steps.
— Caleb Hull (@CalebJHull) March 19, 2021
Video footage of the Friday incident captured the 78-year-old Biden taking two missteps on the airstairs, where he briefly caught himself. However, he fell to his knees during his third attempt to recompose himself. Biden later appeared to check his left knee before scaling the steps again, but this time with both hands over the guardrails.
The misstep came days after Dr. Kevin O'Connor, a physician with George Washington University, released a three-page medical summary of Biden's health. In the report, O'Connor described the president as "healthy" and "vigorous" who is "fit to successfully execute the duties of the presidency."
The medical release itself comes amid increasing concerns that Biden is unfit for office, with many criticizing his failure to hold an official news conference after assuming the presidency. Earlier, a poll by Rasmussen indicated that half of those surveyed were "not confident" that Biden was "physically and mentally up to the job."
