“I’m Ridin’ With Biden” was a popular meme turned unofficial campaign slogan for President Joe Biden in the 2020 election. Perhaps someone will now turn the tables a bit, and make it “I’m Climbin’ Like Biden” to poke some fun at the leader of the free world’s struggles with the stairs to Air Force One.
It was reported this week that Joe Biden is now using the lower shorter steps to board the presidential aircraft after a series of embarrassing stumbles.
U.S. presidents traditionally use the 26 steps at the front of the modified 747-200B aircraft. This allows the deplaning president to make a grand arrival and equally grand departure, but Biden has increasingly used the smaller stairs – including for every flight on his recent trip to Europe including to London, Vilnius, Helsinki, and back in Washington.
The 14 stairs retract into the belly of the aircraft. Biden had previously used the smaller steps on domestic trips to and from Chicago, San Francisco, Philadelphia, and Rocky Mount.
Still a Major Climb for Joe Biden?
Despite being shorter, it was just last week that President Joe Biden stumbled halfway up the shorter steps ahead of a flight from Helsinki. Biden had repeatedly fallen over as he attempted to run up the stairs in a 2021 trip to Atlanta, while he also tripped as he boarded the aircraft in Warsaw earlier this year.
Other presidents have relied on the shorter 14 steps, but those are typically reserved for adverse conditions. However, none of the recent trips Biden has taken were marked by inclement weather.
It should also be stated that Biden did use the large stairs to descend from the plane upon arrival in Europe, where the respective hosts arranged for more formal greeting ceremonies.
“There are a series of factors that go into the logistical decision-making on this, including weather, what kind of airport we’re landing at and whether there is a formal greeting planned for the tarmac where we expect that press will want an official photo at the bottom of the tall stairs,” a White House official told Politico.com. “There’s not one hard and fast rule — it is a decision made on a variety of factors in a wide range of settings and circumstances.”
Bloomberg’s Justin Sink pressed White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre about the reported change of stairs and whether the president was having any “mobility problems.”
No direct answer was provided, and instead, Jean-Pierre responded, “I don’t have any decision process to walk through. I’m sure there’s a protocol that’s used for the — for Air Force One. I just don’t have one.”
Change of Footwear
It isn’t just the change of stairs that has been noted by the media this week. As Politico.com also first reported, President Joe Bien has been increasingly seen in sneakers, which are likely another concession necessitated by his age.
Biden has always been resistant to wearing anything other than dress shoes on such occasions but has reportedly eased up on that stance in recent months. Between the trouble climbing the stairs, the need to wear athletic footwear instead of dress shoes, and the fact that he is turning 82 next year will only remind voters that Biden is the oldest person ever to hold the office of president.
Author Experience and Expertise
A Senior Editor for 19FortyFive, Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites with over 3,200 published pieces over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu.
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