US President Joe Biden stumbled three times as he climbed the steps on to Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland this morning.
The 78-year-old, who is the oldest president in US history, appeared to struggle as he boarded the presidential plane.
He and Vice President Kamala Harris were on their way to Atlanta, Georgia, to meet the community devastated by Wednesday’s shooting that left eight people dead.
It was not immediately clear what tripped Mr Biden up the first time, but shortly after recovering he fell twice more before dusting himself off. Security officials, meanwhile, looked on with concern from the ground.
Wearing a mask, he turned to salute the military officer standing on the tarmac below before boarding the plane.
The White House said the president is “just fine and did not even require any attention from the medical team who travels with him”.
“Nothing more than a misstep on the stairs,” a spokesperson added.
American leaders have a history of struggling with the stairs used to board the aircraft – which has cost the Pentagon more than $5 billion (£3.5bn), but rarely have the falls been so spectacular.
Mr Biden, who has said he uses a Peloton bike to keep fit, often makes a point of jogging in a show of his fitness.
However, questions have been raised about Mr Biden’s mental, and physical, acuity. The president on Thursday accidentally called Kamala Harris, Vice President, “President Harris”.
Throughout the election campaign he has engaged in numerous malapropisms, slurred words, mispronouncing words and misidentifying people, such as calling his wife Jill his sister.
