GOP rivals and presidential contenders Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis found rare common ground Thursday.
Both wished President Biden well during campaign events in separate states hours after the 80-year-old Democrat fell on stage at the Air Force Academy’s commencement ceremony.
When Trump, 76, became aware of Biden’s tumble, he said he hoped the president wasn’t hurt while also making light of his own treacherous walk down a ramp at a military graduation in 2020 when he was commander in chief — an incident Biden actually made fun of at the time.
“WelI, I hope he wasn’t hurt, I hope he wasn’t hurt,” Trump told supporters in Iowa before recalling his viral moment in June 2020 when he carefully walked down a ramp after delivering the commencement speech at the US Military Academy in West Point.
“You gotta be careful about that because you don’t want that, even if you have to tip-toe down the ramp,” Trump said to raucous laughter.
Trump said during the 2020 commencement that bad weather conditions made the ramp akin to an “ice skating rink.”
“I say, ‘You know what, general, get ready if I grab you, you just get ready because I got this stupid ramp that somebody put up,’” Trump recalled.
Biden, then a presidential candidate, mocked Trump after his timid walk down the ramp.
“Look at how he steps and look at how I step. Watch how I run up ramps and he stumbles down ramps. Come on,” he said.
The 44-year-old Florida governor also wished Biden well while taking a shot at his leadership.
“I don’t know if he sustained injuries, but I just want to say that we hope and wish Joe Biden a swift recovery from any injuries he may have sustained,” DeSantis told supporters in New Hampshire. “But we also wish the United States of America a swift recovery from the injuries sustained because of Joe Biden and his policies.”
After he fell, Biden got back up with the help of others on stage and pointed to a black sandbag, indicating that he stumbled over the object. Before his fall, he delivered the commencement address to the newly minted Air Force and Space Force members.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said later Thursday that Biden was “totally fine” and that he flashed “a big smile” when he boarded Air Force One for his return trip to Washington.
The oldest-ever commander in chief had another accident when he arrived back at the White House and “bumped his head on the doorframe” of his Marine One helicopter, according to a pool report.
Biden then told reporters of his fall: “I got sandbagged.”
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