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President Joe Biden after the fall in Colorado Springs
Photo: Andrew Harnik / dpa
US President Joe Biden fell on a stage during a public appearance in the state of Colorado. The 80-year-old spoke to graduates of a military academy in Colorado Springs and attended the graduation ceremony there. When he wanted to leave the stage at the end, he stumbled and fell to the floor. Security forces helped him up, as a video shows. Subsequently, Biden returned to his seat.
A White House employee said on Twitter that the president was doing well and suggested that Biden had stumbled over a sandbag on stage.
Biden had moved into the White House in 2021 as the oldest president of all time. At the end of April, the Democrat announced that he wanted to run for a second term in next year's presidential election. In the election in a year and a half, Biden will be 81 years old, at the end of a possible second term he would be 86.
In February, Biden's personal physician had certified that he was in good health and had full fitness for office. Nevertheless, his age and his suitability as a renewed presidential candidate have long been the subject of debate, even in his own party. Competitors from the ranks of the Republicans regularly use blunders and small missteps of the president to question his mental and physical fitness.
In recent years, Biden had stumbled or fallen several times. Shortly after his victory in the November 2020 presidential election against incumbent Donald Trump, he suffered a foot fracture while playing with his dog Major.
Last June, Biden caused a stir with a fall from his bike near his beach house in the state of Delaware. The president had stopped to talk to passers-by and lost his balance as he tried to pull his foot out of the pedal loop.
kfr/dpa