Donald Trump Mocks Joe Biden Over Stairs, Warns 'Some Day I'm Going to Trip'
At a Texas truck plant, the 80-year-old president listed his ways off a stage: a ramp, one staircase, another, and "another stair in the back."
President Donald Trump told a Texas audience on Thursday that he is going to trip "some day." In the same breath, he mocked former President Joe Biden, claiming Biden cut his speeches short and could never find the stairs.
Trump spoke at a Peterbilt Motors truck plant in Denton, about 30 miles north of Fort Worth. The stop was the first of a monthlong midterm campaign push meant to help Republican Senate nominee Ken Paxton.
What Trump Said About Biden and the Stairs
"Some day I'm going to trip. I'll be walking down," Trump said. "Don't forget when Biden left the stage, he spoke very shortly, like two minutes, one minute, as quickly as possible. Could never find the stairs."
Then he described himself as the opposite. "I don't have that problem," he said. "Look, I can go ramp. I can go stair. I can go another stair. Another stair in the back."
The line about tripping was a hypothetical. It did not refer to any past stumble.
That is Trump's own characterization of Biden's stage exits. Biden did not always speak for only a minute or two. His June 2023 commencement address at the U.S. Air Force Academy lasted about 30 minutes.
Donald Trump and Joe Biden's Ages and Records on Stairs
Trump turned 80 on June 14. That makes him the second sitting president in his 80s. The first was Biden, who was born on November 20, 1942 and turns 84 next month.
Both men have stumbled on camera:
| Date | President | What happened |
|---|---|---|
| June 13, 2020 | Donald Trump, then 73 | Walked slowly down a ramp after the West Point commencement, then blamed a slippery ramp and the lack of a handrail |
| March 19, 2021 | Joe Biden, then 78 | Stumbled several times climbing the Air Force One stairs at Joint Base Andrews; deputy press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said, "He is doing 100 percent." |
| June 1, 2023 | Joe Biden, then 80 | Tripped over a sandbag and fell onstage at the Air Force Academy commencement |
| June 8, 2025 | Donald Trump, then 78 | Briefly lost his footing on the Air Force One stairs in New Jersey |
How Trump and Biden Have Talked About Each Other's Falls
In 2020, Biden mocked Trump's slow walk down the West Point ramp, saying, "Watch how I run up ramps and he stumbles down ramps." Three years later, he fell at a commencement of his own.
When he heard about Biden's fall at the Air Force Academy, Trump, campaigning in Iowa, first offered sympathy. "Well, I hope he wasn't hurt," he said, adding that people should be careful "even if you have to tiptoe down the ramp." Later in the same remarks he added: "That's a bad place to fall... that's not inspiring."
Trump has also spoken about his own age. In a video with Dr. Mehmet Oz marking his 80th birthday, Trump said, "I'm not happy about that birthday," and called his age "a number I haven't thought too much about."
What Comes Next for Trump's Midterm Push
After Denton, Trump went on to a rally in Durant, Oklahoma. The Texas stop is more urgent than the state's partisan lean suggests. James Talarico, the Democrat, leads Paxton by 2.7 points in PolitiKool's polling average for the Texas Senate race.
Nationally, Trump's approval stands at 37.6 percent, with 59.2 percent disapproving, according to PolitiKool's polling average.
Trump has a month of travel planned before Election Day. Each stop means another stage to get on and off.
Sources
- CBS Texas: Trump heads to Texas, Oklahoma hoping to boost Republican candidates ahead of the midterms — Confirms the October 1 Peterbilt Motors stop in Denton, Texas, with Paxton, and the Oklahoma rally that followed
- Fox News: Trump marks 80th birthday, now second octogenarian sitting president — Trump's birth date (June 14, 1946), his age and his comments about turning 80 in a video with Dr. Mehmet Oz
- Miller Center: Joe Biden, Life in Brief — Biden's birth date, November 20, 1942
7 more sources
- Bloomberg: Trump Says Slippery Ramp, Lack of Handrail Caused Shaky Walk — Trump's June 2020 walk down the West Point ramp and his explanation
- Boston Globe: Biden slips while boarding Air Force One; White House says he's '100 percent fine' — Biden's March 19, 2021 stumbles on the Air Force One stairs
- Washington Post: Joe Biden falls at Air Force Academy graduation after tripping — Biden's June 1, 2023 fall onstage
- CBS News: Biden falls onstage after tripping at Air Force Academy commencement ceremony — Length of Biden's 2023 commencement address, about 30 minutes
- The Globe and Mail: Trump stumbles while boarding Air Force One — Trump's June 8, 2025 stumble on the Air Force One stairs in New Jersey
- Fox News: Trump reacts to Biden's Air Force commencement fall: 'That's not inspiring' — Trump's June 2023 Iowa remarks reacting to Biden's fall
- Fox News: Biden, who just fell on stage, once mocked Trump for carefully walking down ramp — Biden's 2020 mockery of Trump's ramp walk