President Joe Biden, 81, is trying to cover-up his unstable walks to and from Marine One — and we have video proof.
Biden’s team has started a new routine for his White House departures and returns that has raised eyebrows. Instead of walking alone across the South Lawn to and from Marine One, Biden is now surrounded by a human wall of his loyal aides. The aides stand between Biden and the media cameras gathered on the lawn.
The sudden change is not subtle. For the past three years, Biden would typically walk solo. But in mid-April, White House staffers and reporters alike noticed that Biden was suddenly being accompanied by a phalanx of staffers.
According to Axios, some Biden advisers are concerned that videos of the elderly Biden walking and shuffling alone — especially across the grass — have highlighted his advanced age and stiff gait.
They want to limit the images of Biden’s awkward shuffle to and from the helicopter in the media by making sure he’s obscured by an entourage.
A White House official dismissed the rumor and said the president told aides that he’d prefer a less formal approach and suggested that they walk with him.
Senior aides such as deputy Chiefs of Staff Bruce Reed and Annie Tomasini and White House senior adviser Mike Donilon are among those who’ve walked with the president across the lawn to and from the helicopter, at times blocking him from view.
The numbers tell the story: In March, Biden’s five walks to and from Marine One at the White House were by himself or with a few family members. But starting April 16, Biden was joined by staff or lawmakers nine out of 10 times he walked to and from Marine One.
Biden’s team has been focused on changing voters’ perceptions about his advanced age in recent months, with the president talking about it more openly in public events and in a recent campaign ad.
The White House also has taken steps to prevent Biden from tripping, as he did last summer on a stage at the Air Force Academy. Biden increasingly has worn shoes with extra support, including a pair of black Hoka sneakers.
Although White House spokesperson Andrew Bates played down the significance of aides partially obscuring cameras’ view of Biden during the walks, the visual tricks are hard to ignore.
“He’s fully visible except for a few seconds,” Bates said dismissively. “Impeach.”
Despite his doctor declaring him “fit for duty,” Biden suffers from spinal arthritis and “mild sensory peripheral neuropathy of the feet,” which has contributed to his stiff gait while walking.
This isn’t the first time the Biden administration has made changes to try and hide his age from the media.
Besides the different footwear, he now enters Air Force One on a lower level, taking shorter stairs than the ones used on his early trips to climb to the plane’s cabin. Biden was filmed falling down (and up) Air Force One’s steps many times.
Biden also continues to do physical therapy and stretching exercises most days, the White House says.
The White House is going to great lengths to protect Biden’s image and downplay signs that he’s too old or frail for the job. But as the 2024 campaign heats up, it’s unlikely the over-up efforts will be enough to convince voters that Biden is up for the job.
Biden is surrounded by his handlers as he arrives back at the White House following a disastrous, highly embarrassing trip to New York.
He takes no questions.pic.twitter.com/t2ig5UYl2y
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) April 26, 2024
Stephen Dietrich is the publisher of The Horn News