Social media erupts with ‘Biden 2.0’ jibes as video goes viral – after Trump spent years ridiculing predecessor for identical mishaps
Donald Trump suffered an embarrassing stumble while boarding Air Force One on Sunday – just months after repeatedly mocking Joe Biden for doing exactly the same thing.
The 78-year-old President was caught on camera losing his footing on the aircraft stairs at Morristown Municipal Airport in New Jersey, grabbing the handrail to steady himself as his left foot caught the edge of a step.
In a moment of double humiliation, Secretary of State Marco Rubio then ALSO tripped on the same staircase just seconds later, both incidents captured in footage that immediately went viral across social media.
THE STUMBLE
The incident occurred as Trump was departing for Camp David after spending the weekend at his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey.
Video footage shows the President:
- Gripping the handrail as he climbed
- His left foot catching the edge of a step about halfway up
- Stumbling momentarily before steadying himself
- Quickly recovering and continuing to the top
- Turning to wave at reporters before entering the plane
Rubio, following immediately behind, then appeared to trip at almost the exact same spot on the staircase.
TRUMP’S BIDEN ATTACKS
The stumble is particularly awkward for Trump given his relentless mockery of Biden’s similar mishaps throughout his predecessor’s term in office.
Trump’s previous comments about Biden include:
2023: “Joe Biden can’t even walk up a flight of stairs on Air Force One and he can’t put two sentences together.
2023: Claimed Biden uses “the children’s stairs” on Air Force One and that “he can’t quite make it up or down” those stairs.
Summer 2023: After Biden fell at the Air Force graduation ceremony in Colorado, Trump said it was “not inspiring” for graduates to witness, adding: “I hope he wasn’t hurt…You don’t want that.”
Campaign ads: Trump’s team used clips of Biden stumbling in multiple campaign advertisements including “Jugular,” “Who Is Laughing Now,” and “Not A Young Guy.
SOCIAL MEDIA ERUPTS
The internet immediately seized on the irony, with critics quick to highlight Trump’s hypocrisy:
“DOWN GOES DONALD! Trump just stumbled and almost faceplanted boarding Air Force One. When Biden stumbled, the media lost its mind,” posted one user.
Donald Trump can’t walk up a flight of stairs, he’s unfit to be President…am I doing it right?” mocked another.
When Joe Biden did stuff like this, Fox would play the clips over and over like it was as significant as the moon landing,” noted journalist Aaron Rupar.
“Time to get Old Man Trump fitted for a wheelchair,” suggested Ron Filipkowski.
I remember him making fun of Biden for the same thing,” one user simply stated.
THE TOUGH TALK BEFORE THE TUMBLE
The stumble came immediately after Trump had been projecting strength to reporters, discussing his response to violent protests in Los Angeles.
When asked if he would invoke the Insurrection Act, Trump declared:
- “Depends on whether or not there’s an insurrection”
- “You have violent people. And we’re not going to let them get away with it”
- “We’re going to have troops everywhere. We’re not going to let this happen to our country”
Minutes later, he was grabbing the handrail to avoid falling.
AGE CONCERNS
At 78, Trump is tied with Biden as the oldest president ever sworn into office. By the end of his term, Trump will be 82 – the same age Biden is now.
The incident inevitably raises questions about Trump’s age and fitness, particularly given how central those issues were to his attacks on Biden.
Some social media users even questioned whether the footage was AI-generated, while others speculated about body doubles – showing how sensitive the age issue has become.
PRESIDENTIAL STUMBLES THROUGH HISTORY
Trump and Biden are far from the only presidents to struggle with Air Force One stairs:
- Barack Obama: Stumbled on the stairs multiple times
- Ronald Reagan: Had notable stair mishaps
- Gerald Ford: Famously fell down the stairs in 1975
- Joe Biden: Multiple stumbles led to switching to shorter stairs
THE ‘SHORT STAIRS’ SOLUTION
Biden’s team eventually moved him to using the shorter, sturdier stairs that fold out from the belly of the plane – a solution Trump had mocked as using “children’s stairs.
The built-in stairs are:
- Less photogenic than the tall outdoor steps
- More stable and secure
- Move most of the climb out of public view
- Pose less health and political risk
Trump, however, continues using the traditional tall stairs – as Sunday’s incident demonstrated.
RUBIO’S DOUBLE TROUBLE
Adding to the embarrassment, Secretary of State Rubio’s stumble immediately after Trump’s created a moment of slapstick comedy that had social media users comparing it to a scene from a sitcom.
The back-to-back stumbles by two of America’s most senior officials prompted jokes about installing escalators or checking for “banana peels” on the stairs.
THE MUSK FACTOR
Some users sarcastically suggested Trump was “thinking about Elon” when he tripped – a reference to the bitter feud that has erupted between the President and the world’s richest man over Trump’s spending plans.
The public rift centers on Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” which Musk has called a “disgusting abomination” that would undermine his work with the Department of Government Efficiency.
THE BOTTOM LINE
For a president who built much of his political brand on projecting strength and mocking his opponent’s physical frailties, Sunday’s stumble represents a moment of supreme irony.
As one social media user succinctly put it: “Maybe they’re not so different after all.”
The White House has not yet responded to requests for comment about the incident.
