Joe Biden had another difficult encounter with stairs today while in Japan for this year’s annual G7 Summit, prompting mockery and accusations of being “unsteady” amid the meeting of world leaders.
Biden arrived late to Miyajima Island after every other world leader arrived promptly to begin a tour of the Itsukushima Shrine, which The Daily Mail reports is one of the island nation’s most sacred sites.
After the late arrival, The Gateway Pundit reports that Biden “compounded” the matter by stumbling while going down stairs and nearly losing his footing. Biden managed to recover and ultimately descended the steps successfully.
Joe Biden wins a tumultuous battle with stairs after arriving in Japan fashionably late for G7 pic.twitter.com/B880iyxe09
— Tom Pappert (@realTomPappert) May 19, 2023
Biden has a difficult relationship with stairs, and the level-changing mode of bipedal transportation has become one of the public relations banes of the White House since the elderly president, now 80, stumbled while walking up the steps to Air Force One.
That event saw Biden stumble up the steps and fall twice before eventually managing to ascend the remaining stairs and enter the airplane.
President Joe Biden trips climbing the stairs to Air Force 1 pic.twitter.com/x8UD7q0a48
— The Hill (@thehill) March 19, 2021
Since that defining moment in 2021, Biden has sparred with stairs on multiple occasions. Fortunately, the octogenarian has avoided any moments as severe as that fateful day in March.
Watch out for the stairs! pic.twitter.com/Qo7faNqRfS
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) March 6, 2023
🚨 BREAKING: Joe Biden FALLS up the stairs of Air Force One departing Warsaw, Poland pic.twitter.com/zPEJsbSFTe
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) February 22, 2023
Prior to Biden’s late arrival in Japan, the White House offended some foreign dignitaries by announcing Biden will not attend a planned meeting of the Quad alliance in Australia after the conclusion of the G7 summit.
Perhaps underscoring the significance of Biden’s latest political faux pas, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said earlier this week that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi nevertheless plans to visit Australia. The move may be a bid to show strength after China celebrated the Biden administration’s last minute decision to pull out of the meeting amid increased world tensions.
