After attending the 2023 United States Air Force Academy Graduation Ceremony, President Biden will board Air Force One on June 1, 2023 at Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado Springs, Colo.
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President Biden boards Air Force One in Colorado Springs on June 1, 2023 after attending the 2023 United States Air Force Academy Graduation Ceremonies.
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He has started using a much shorter and more stable set of stairs that fold out from the belly of the plane. He uses a shorter, more stable set of steps that are folded out of the belly of the aircraft. The shorter stairs are a great way to keep Biden’s entrance into Air Force One hidden from the public eye. The change was made after Biden tripped over a sandbag and fell on stage at the U.S. Air Force Academy graduation. That’s when Biden tripped over a sandbag and fell on stage at the U.S. Air Force Academy graduation.
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The White House has mainly brushed aside questions about the change and won’t say much about it, other than there are a series of factors that go into whether he uses the short or tall stairs, including security, weather, and the availability of rolling staircases.
When Biden lands at an airport where officials roll out the red carpet to welcome him, he still uses the tall stairs.
On June 17, 2023, President Biden descends the steps of Air Force One upon his arrival in Philadelphia.
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President Bideen walks down the steps from Air Force One when he arrives at Philadelphia, June 17, 2023.
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There’s an art in avoiding bad perceptions. Kent Gray has worked on nine presidential campaigns and two Republican presidents. He is very good at working out the details to make sure that everything looks right. But if someone slips and falls down the air-stairs, everyone will notice. “
On March 19, 2021, President Biden grabs the handrail of the tall staircase as he stumbles when boarding Air Force One.
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Presidential Biden grabs the handrail of the tall staircase as he stumbles when boarding Air Force One on March 19, 2021 at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland.
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Gray has seen first-hand the problems that can arise when an older candidate fails. Earlier in his career, he helped set up the stage for a 1996 event in Chico, Calif. for Sen. Bob Dole, who at age 73 was running for president.
Gray had placed flimsy decorative white columns at the front edge. Gray explained that Bob Dole, for reasons nobody knows, decided to climb up the front edge of the stage, and then fell through. The whole thing was caught on video and replayed. It became a metaphor for the losing Dole campaign.
YouTubeThe short stairs may prevent a fall. But they also underscore the age issue
Democratic operatives charged with setting up logistics and details for Biden and former President Barack Obama confirmed there’s been a shift in how Biden boards the plane, but they didn’t want to talk on the record for this story, due to the sensitivities around Biden’s age.
They see the short stairs as a way to reduce risk, though one former Biden official cast it as part of a broader issue with White House staffers being “overly protective in a way that often does him a disservice. David Axelrod is not convinced that voters care about the issue. Axelrod was Obama’s chief strategy. He said, “You don’t judge presidents on their ability to navigate.” You elect presidents on the basis of their ability to solve problems. “
On June 16, 2023, President Biden is seen pointing as he descends the steps of Air Force One at Windsor Locks, Conn.
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President Biden pointing as he walks on the steps of Air Force One, in Windsor Locks (Conn.), June 16, 2023.
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President Biden, on July 6, 2023, waves from Air Force One at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland before he flies to South Carolina.
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President Biden waves at Air Force One from Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland on July 6, 2023 before flying to South Carolina.
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Recent presidents mostly used the tall stairsBiden’s switch to the small stairs sets him apart from his predecessors. Obama used internal stairs so rarely that he was surprised when they weren’t available when he arrived in China for the G20 summit in 2016.
On September 3, 2016, President Obama arrives at Hangzhou, China to attend the G20 Summit.
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President Obama arrives at Hangzhou, China to attend the G20 Summit on September 3, 2016.
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Before the Biden era, short stairs were used most often when the taller stairs became impractical due to security. In addition to vehicles for his motorcade, the U.S. Military often flies stairs to countries that the president visits.
When visiting a warzone, such as Iraq or Afghanistan, the U.S. military would not fly stairs into that area, because it could alert people to a secret presidential trip. Photos of U.S. presidents visiting U.S. forces overseas often show them arriving at night and using small stairs.
Offutt Air Force Base, near Omaha, Nebraska. President Bush walking off the steps of Air Force One. After two planes crashed in the World Trade Center, on September 11, 2001.
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President Bush leaves the steps of Air Force One, located at Offutt Air Force Base in Omaha, Nebraska. After two planes crashed in the World Trade Center, Sept. 11, 20001.
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Former President Donald Trump used the short staircase more than Obama, though fewer times in total during his four years as president.
During his four years as president, former President Donald Trump has used the short staircase more than Obama. However, he did so fewer times than Biden. Gray, who worked as an event planner for Trump, said the short stairs were a good option on windy days.
Air Force One with President Donald Trump on July 28, 2017, Joint Base Andrews in Maryland
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President Donald Trump boarding Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews on July 28, 2017, Md.
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An expert on aging says that using the safer stairs makes sense.
S. Jay Olshansky, a professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago who is an expert in aging, says that using safer stairs is common sense. He believes this is an issue of optics, and not one of fitness for office. He said Biden’s physical showed a man who was in excellent health considering his age. Olshansky said that if President Biden adjusts his normal pattern of movement from A to B to reduce his risk of falling then he is doing the right thing. “That’s exactly what we should all be doing as we age to protect ourselves. “
He claims it’s a simple adaptation, similar to wearing glasses or hearing devices. When asked his age, Biden often responds, “Watch me.” While on vacation last week, Biden attended pilates and spinning classes twice at a fitness center called Pelodog. He then used the stairs to board Air Force One and return to Washington.
After a vacation at Lake Tahoe in Nevada, President Biden will board Air Force One by using the short steps on August 26, 2023.
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President Biden boarded Air Force One by using the short steps on August 26, 2023, after a vacation at Lake Tahoe, Nev.
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Leigh Walden, NPR’s Leigh Walden, contributed to this report.