Biden 'just fine' after tripping 3 times jogging up steps to Air Force One

The White House blamed the incident on high winds and a "misstep."

March 19, 2021, 2:30 PM

President Joe Biden’s trip to Georgia Friday got off to a rocky start when he tripped multiple times jogging up the steps to Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews.

In the span of three seconds, the 78-year-old president fell three times.

PHOTO: President Joe Biden stumbles while walking up the steps of Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews, Md., March 19, 2021, for a trip to Georgia.
President Joe Biden stumbles while walking up the steps of Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews, Md., March 19, 2021, for a trip to Georgia.
ABC News

Each time, he placed his left hand down to catch himself while holding onto the railing with his right hand.

PHOTO: President Joe Biden stumbles while walking up the steps of Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews, Md., March 19, 2021, for a trip to Georgia.
President Joe Biden stumbles while walking up the steps of Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews, Md., March 19, 2021, for a trip to Georgia.
ABC News

He eventually fell onto his left knee midway up the steps.

PHOTO: President Joe Biden stumbles while walking up the steps of Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews, Md., March 19, 2021, for a trip to Georgia.
President Joe Biden stumbles while walking up the steps of Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews, Md., March 19, 2021, for a trip to Georgia.
ABC News

As he stood up, Biden paused and appeared to adjust the bottom of his pant leg before continuing to lightly jog and then walk up the remainder of the steps, then turning to give a salute before entering the cabin.

PHOTO: President Joe Biden salutes after walking up the steps of Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews, Md., March 19, 2021, for a trip to Georgia.
President Joe Biden salutes after walking up the steps of Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews, Md., March 19, 2021, for a trip to Georgia.
ABC News

White House principal deputy press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters aboard Air Force One that the president was doing "just great" and blamed the incident on wind gusts.

"It's pretty windy outside, it's very windy. I almost fell coming up the steps myself. He is doing 100% fine," she said.

White House communications director Kate Bedingfield also tweeted that Biden did not require any attention from the medical team on board.

"Nothing more than a misstep on the stairs," she said.

Jean-Pierre said Biden was continuing to prepare for his trip to Atlanta where he is expected to visit the Centers for Disease Control and meet with leaders of the Asian American Pacific Islanders (AAPI) community.

Biden recently recovered from a foot injury he sustained while playing with his dog Major in November. He suffered hairline fractures to his right foot and wore a boot for a brief period, but was cleared by his physician on Feb. 6.

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