Conservatives say the media’s coverage of President Joe Biden’s struggle to climb the stairs up to Air Force One contrast sharply with how the press reported on former President Donald Trump’s cautious walk down a ramp.
The falls: Biden on Friday stumbled repeatedly as he ascended the steps to the presidential jet.
- Footage of the moment went viral on Twitter, where some users mocked the president and others floated theories about whether the incident suggested a health issue.
- White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre appeared to blame the elements for Biden’s difficulties, telling reporters, “It’s pretty windy outside. It’s very windy. I almost fell coming up the steps myself.”
How the media covered the Trump walk: As noted by multiple conservative commentators, national media outlets made an entire news cycle of Trump carefully descending a staircase after delivering a speech at West Point.
- “Trump’s Halting Walk Down Ramp Raises New Health Questions,” read The New York Times’ headline on the incident, which took place in June.
- CNN’s on-air coverage of Trump’s walk featured a chyron which read: “Trump’s Unsteady Appearance at West Point Sparks Health Concerns.”
How is the media covering the Biden fall? The Times’ report on Biden’s fall lead off with the statement from Jean-Pierre insisting the president is “100% fine.”
- “President Joe Biden may have taken a bit of a fall on his way into Air Force One but his approval rating is steadily climbing since he took office,” Reuters tweeted on Friday.
- According to the right-leaning Canadian news site The Post Millennial, most legacy media outlets either ignored the story of Biden’s stumbles or mentioned it briefly with a reference to Pierre’s statement.
- “If you work in the media and you made a big deal when Trump walked down a slippery ramp a little slower than usual so he would *not* fall and you are not making a big deal of Biden falling 3 times today trying to walk up some steps, you are the reason people don’t trust the media,” tweeted Daily Wire reporter Ryan Saavedra.
What does 45 have to say about it? Over the weekend, Trump reacted to the video of Biden falling up the stairs.
- “I watched as Joe Biden went up the stairs today and I said ‘I didn’t lose to him,’ which we didn’t lose to him,” he said. “Almost 75 million votes and probably a lot more than that.”
