EDITORIAL — Joe falls again

While greeting US Air Force graduates in Colorado Springs, US President Joe Biden fell on all fours after tripping over sandbags placed to steady his podium. “Napandol” if we were to use one of those numerous, descriptive, and oddly specific Cebuano words describing the act of falling.

He was quickly helped up to his feet and the White House later said he was okay.

“I got sandbagged,” the president told reporters.

There are several ways to look at such an incident. One way to look at it is simply to take it at face value; an accident that happens to all of us. We all stumble and fall, especially those among us who are clumsy, those of us who pay more attention to our phones instead of our surroundings, and those of us who just leave stuff everywhere to trip over.

But there is no doubt that some of those who saw what happened will also quickly see an ageing man who no longer has any business running what can arguably be considered the country with strongest military and economy in the world --especially as it was not the first time Biden awkwardly fell and ended up on the ground while cameras were being pointed at him.

His other occasions include stumbling while heading up to Air Force One and that other time when he fell trying to get off his bike at the end of a ride near his beach home in Delaware.

While his political opponents have wished him well after his latest incident, this being a time when presidential aspirants come out to announce their bid for the White House, we may expect people to keep referring to this one moment of clumsiness as the latest sign of weakness that cannot be ignored.

And at 80 years old, they may quickly point out that Biden is no longer fit for a job that has more occasions for him to trip and fall. While it cannot be considered as slinging mud, people in the Republican Party and perhaps even those who want to succeed his mantle in his own party may use this as campaign material.

To avoid giving his opponents any more fodder for their campaign, Biden must take his next steps carefully, both literally and figuratively.