Media

Here’s How The Media Covered Trump’s Fall Versus Biden’s

[Twitter Jake Schneider/CNN]

Brianna Lyman News and Commentary Writer
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Corporate media shilled for President Joe Biden after he took yet another tumble, a stark contrast to how they portrayed former President Donald Trump’s near slip off a ramp years prior.

Biden tripped over a sandbag Thursday while at the U.S. Air Force Academy graduation. Video footage showed Biden walking happily across the stage before he suddenly tripped. Several people rushed over to check on the president, who then walked away unassisted.

Meanwhile, when Trump was in office he slowly descended down a ramp that had no handrail following a commencement speech at West Point. Trump said the ramp was “very slippery” at the time. (RELATED: FLASHBACK: Biden Mocks Trump Stumble On West Point Ramp, ‘Watch How I Run Up Ramps’)

Trump, who was 74 at the time, was shrouded in clouds of doubt about his age, his health, and his competency following the near-fall.

The New York Times said “Trump’s Halting Walk Down Ramp Raises New Health Questions,” questioning his age and noting he was, at the time, “the oldest a president has been in his first term.”

CNN desperately tried to convince readers that Trump’s descent “actually matters,” listing in-story that Trump’s age was a potential issue, that his medical past “is a total mystery,” and that he criticized Biden for his mental competency on the campaign trail.

The Washington Post meanwhile doubted Trump’s assessment of the slippery ramp, saying his explanation for his walk “strained credulity” because the weather was “sunny and clear-skied.” The article then concluded by saying that while Trump “mocks Biden as ‘Sleepy Joe’ and has tried to argue Biden, 77, lacks the physical or mental acuity to be president…Biden [was seen] jogging along a parade route” in a recirculated clip.

The New York Times said Trump’s walk “raises new health questions.”

But after Biden’s tumble, which comes after he fell off his bike, nearly fell down the stairs in Japan, and reportedly hit his head on Thursday while departing a helicopter, the media went soft.

The Washington Post headlined two pieces “Biden trips and falls on stage at Air Force Academy graduation” and “Biden says he got ‘sandbagged’ after he tripped and fell onstage at Air Force graduation.” Only one article made mention of Biden’s age as a concern, but quickly noted that Biden’s doctor gave him a clear bill of health before pivoting to shame former Presidents Gerald Ford, Barack Obama and Trump for all falling.

The New York Times didn’t seem too concerned about raising questions on Biden’s health, headlining their piece: “Biden Falls Onstage at Air Force Commencement.”

And CNN wanted readers to know right off the bat Biden “is fine.”

So while Biden’s fall and near-ten-second recovery time after his other numerous falls isn’t enough to call into question his health, Trump walking slowly down a ramp to preemptively avoid a fall nearly ended his career.