During a Thursday afternoon commencement address at the U.S. Air Force Academy, President Joe Biden fell after apparently tripping on a sandbag. This, of course, wasn’t the first time Biden has tripped or fallen in public. Since Biden’s latest embarrassing fall took place on ABC News Live and other outlets, the three evening news broadcasts were forced to cover the latest Biden blunder. Predictably, when reporting on the story one of the networks scolded Republicans for “pouncing” on the issue.
During ABC’s World News Tonight, White House correspondent Mary Bruce reassured viewers that Biden was fine after falling on his face. “The White House tonight says the President is doing fine and he certainly appeared that way when we saw him on camera shortly after that fall.”
“He was able to get back up and was seen interacting with the crowd shortly after that fall,” Bruce added.
Bruce then claimed Republicans were “pouncing” on Biden’s fall and bemoaned that the incident only reinforces voters’ well-reasoned distrust that Biden wasn’t capable of handling his job given his advanced age: “But given voters' concerns about the President's age, this is an image that his critics are already capitalizing on and pouncing on”
According to the liberal media, Democrats never pounce. There were no complaints from Bruce and her ilk about “Democrats pouncing” when Trump walked carefully down a slippery ramp.
Yet Bruce wasn’t alone. Over on CBS Evening News, anchor Norah O’Donnell whined that Biden’s “fall has already become a talking point for Republicans running for the White House.”
Serving as the unofficial Biden stenographer on NBC for the evening, Kristen Welker took to the airwaves on NBC Nightly News to fret that “this is not a helpful image for the White House,” before noting that a recent poll found that “more than 60 percent of Americans do not believe the 80-year-old President has the mental sharpness or physical health to serve effectively.”
This biased coverage from the three networks was made possible by IBM on ABC, Ensure on CBS, and Progressive on NBC. Their information is linked so you can contact them.
To read the relevant transcript click “expand”:
ABC’s World News Tonight
6/1/2023
6:33:44 p.m. EasternMARY BRUCE: David, the White House tonight says the President is doing fine and he certainly appeared that way when we saw him on camera shortly after that fall. This all happened after he delivered that commencement address and then shook hands with graduates for nearly two hours. He then turned to head back to his seat, and that is when he appeared to trip over that sandbag that was next to him on this stage, he was able to get back up and was seen interacting with the crowd shortly after that fall.
But given voters' concerns about the President's age, this is an image that his critics are already capitalizing on and pouncing on. Donald Trump was quick to weigh in on this. But David, the bottom line tonight, the White House says the President simply tripped and he is doing well.
CBS Evening News
6/1/2023
6:36:20 p.m. EasternNORAH O’DONNELL: And that fall has already become a talking point for Republicans running for the White House. CBS's Ed O'Keefe is in Iowa, where former President Donald Trump is hitting the campaign trail.
DONALD TRUMP: Well, I hope he wasn't hurt. I hope he wasn't hurt.
ED O’KEEFE: Former President Donald Trump expressed concern when told that his successors fall, and referenced his own experience after a commencement at West Point in 2020.
TRUMP: You've got to be careful about that because you don't want that. Even if you have to tiptoe down a ramp.
O’KEEFE: But he couldn't resist taking a shot at his once and possibly future opponent.
TRUMP: That's a bad place to fall when you’re making—I think it was the Air Force Academy, right? He is making—that's not inspiring.
NBC Nightly News
6/1/2023
6:38:46 p.m. EasternKRISTEN WELKER: Well, Tom, the White House is saying the President is fine after tripping over a sandbag. Still, this is not a helpful image for the White House. One recent poll finding more than 60 percent of Americans do not believe the 80-year-old President has the mental sharpness or physical health to serve effectively. The President heading home after that speech where he thanked the cadets for choosing service over self.
