Video: Biden trips and falls onstage at Air Force Academy commencement ceremony

Raw Video: President Biden Takes a Spill at AFA Graduation

President Biden tripped and fell onstage at the commencement ceremony at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado on Thursday as he returned to his seat after nearly two hours of shaking hands with graduates.

The president was walking across the raised platform when he stumbled over a black sandbag and fell to the ground. He was quickly helped to his feet and appeared to be unhurt. He took a seat behind the lectern and left the stage when the ceremony concluded soon afterward, jogging to his motorcade.

President Biden is helped up after falling during the graduation ceremony at the United States Air Force Academy, just north of Colorado Springs in El Paso County, Colorado, on June 1, 2023. BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images

Ben LaBolt, the White House communications director, said on Twitter that Mr. Biden was "fine."

Mr. Biden addressed the 921 graduates earlier in the ceremony for about 30 minutes, hailing the strength of the U.S. military and touching on several foreign policy topics, including Ukraine, China and NATO. 

Read more
f

We and our partners use cookies to understand how you use our site, improve your experience and serve you personalized content and advertising. Read about how we use cookies in our cookie policy and how you can control them by clicking Manage Settings. By continuing to use this site, you accept these cookies.