President Donald Trump stirred a wave of online chatter over the weekend after briefly stumbling while boarding Air Force One—but the reaction may say more about media bias than the incident itself.
The moment came on June 8 in Morristown, New Jersey, where the president had just wrapped up remarks to the press. As he started making his way up the stairs to Air Force One for a trip to Camp David, cameras captured a brief misstep. Traveling with him was Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who also had a minor trip while making his way up.
President Donald Trump waiving at the press before going inside Air Force One, Photo Credit: The Economic Times/Youtube
Video of the incident quickly spread across social media, drawing millions of views within hours. But while the footage gained traction, the response revealed an all-too-familiar double standard.
President Trump, who at 78 remains sharp, energetic, and fully engaged with the demands of office, has shown no signs of slowing down. Yet some critics rushed to weaponize the moment—ignoring the fact that it was Biden, not Trump, who made headlines for a far more dramatic series of falls during his presidency.
Back in March 2021, then-President Joe Biden infamously tumbled multiple times while climbing the stairs of Air Force One. The White House at the time blamed a gust of wind, but the image stuck—and so did the questions about Biden’s ability to handle the rigors of the job.
Trump and his campaign seized on that moment, turning it into a central theme of the 2024 election. In campaign ads with titles like “Jugular” and “Not A Young Guy,” Trump made the case that Biden lacked the physical and mental stamina to serve a second term.
Those concerns ultimately proved prophetic. Biden withdrew from the 2024 race after a widely criticized debate performance against Trump, during which he stumbled through answers and struggled to maintain coherence. Soon after, news of his advanced cancer diagnosis surfaced, prompting renewed scrutiny of his time in office—and raising alarms about how much the American people were kept in the dark.
President Trump has since directed the Department of Justice to investigate whether Biden’s team improperly used an autopen to sign executive orders, suggesting deeper issues of competence and transparency during his final months in office. Biden has called the inquiry politically motivated, though many argue it’s a necessary step toward accountability.
While Trump’s brief stumble was quickly corrected and brushed aside, Biden’s fall—and the legacy of concealment that followed—continues to cast a long shadow.
By the end of his current term, President Trump will be 82—the same age Biden was when he left office. The difference? Trump is leading from the front with strength, clarity, and unmatched energy.
