While the media have been focusing on the whistleblowers from Tuesday’s hearing, Politico said a quiet part out loud: Joe Biden has serious age problems. Moreover, the White House is making accommodations, and perhaps hoping you don’t notice.

“From the dinners declined, to the way he boards Air Force One and the shoes he wears, Biden’s routines are changing,” writes Politico, although the White House won’t admit it. But now Joe Biden is using a shorter staircase to board Air Force One. Despite that accommodation, however, he had to catch himself as he boarded the flight for Helsinki earlier in the month.

Joe Biden appears to stumble up the stairs as he boards Air Force One. pic.twitter.com/wvVSpuo8no

— Salem News Channel (@WatchSalemNews) July 13, 2023

The changes in staircase came a few months ago, although no one in the media reported on it. Nor did the White House announce it.

Typically presidents ascend the traditional staircase of 26 steps just behind the cockpit of Air Force One, which makes for a grand departure. However, Biden is now using a shorter 14-step retractable stairway which folds into the belly of the plane.

Still, the White House won’t concede there’s anything different. An official told Politico:

There are a series of factors that go into the logistical decision-making on this, including weather, what kind of airport we’re landing at and whether there is a formal greeting planned for the tarmac where we expect that press will want an official photo at the bottom of the tall stairs. There’s not one hard and fast rule — it is a decision made on a variety of factors in a wide range of settings and circumstances.

However, two Biden advisers privately acknowledged that yes, there was indeed a shift to the shorter steps. Especially when press gaggles will notice Biden’s stumbles on the taller, more wobbly steps.

Then There Are the Shoes

Politico began its exposé with this:

Everyone noticed the lack of socks.

When President Joe Biden stepped off Marine One on a recent Sunday morning at Dover Air Force Base, he had just wrapped up a Delaware beach weekend. With his bare feet tucked inside his sneakers, he walked slowly across the tarmac to board Air Force One, which was headed to London for the start of a four-day European swing.

.@POTUS boards Air Force One at Dover Air Force Base as he departs for London, England. Biden was not socks with his sneakers. pic.twitter.com/3CRQJ5uqnR

— Doug Mills (@dougmillsnyt) July 9, 2023

Mens Journal also noticed the shoes. And they had nothing but praise for the cool new kicks the president was rocking:

Summer is here, and it is time to loosen up a little bit. As of late, President Joe Biden has led on this critical issue by foregoing a tie and rocking casual sneakers more often …

The low-cut shoes are designed to be hands-free for an easy fit. More importantly, they are ultra comfortable. Skechers implemented its Air-Cooled Memory Foam cushioned comfort insole, while the Exclusive Heel Pillow securely holds the foot.

So no lacing required; these are slip-on shoes. Another accommodation for Joe Biden’s physical decline, maybe?

Screenshot: Skechers.com.

Mens Journal might gush over Biden’s choice of shoe, but Politico notes that the president is not trying to raise his coolness factor. In fact, they write:

The sneakers are another concession to comfort necessitated by age. 

But Joe actually doesn’t like to wear them. One person close to Biden reported that he has always preferred to wear dress shoes, especially with a suit. Anything else appears “unpresidential.”

Yet dress shoes typically have leather soles, which are incredibly slick, especially in wet weather or on slippery surfaces. Remember when the New York Times breathlessly reported in 2020 that “Trump’s Walk Down Ramp at West Point Raises New Health Questions” when Trump walked slowly down an incline?

My guess was that Trump was wearing dress shoes with leather soles that day, and no handrail was available. Moreover, I never saw any videos of Trump falling repeatedly, as Joe Biden has, and as some media have noticed. Sky News in Australia posted this compilation last month:

Why Does Politico Care About the Age Issue?

Politico is hardly a right-wing mouthpiece. In fact, Media Bias Fact Check labels it as having a “left center bias,” while All Sides gives it a bias rating of “leans left.” So why is Politico casting aspersions on Biden’s fitness for office when he is clearly the Democrat front runner for 2024?

It could be the recent emergence of the third party “No Labels Group.” Progressives fear that the group could put forth a candidate who would siphon votes from Biden in 2024 and hand the presidency back to the Republicans.

Add to that Biden’s recent disapproval rating of 54.5%, as tracked by FiveThirtyEight. Not only that, his vice president Kamala Harris has a disapproval rating of 51.4%. Moreover, a May survey from Yahoo/YouGov revealed that 67% of Americans consider Biden to be too old for another term.

What is Politico saying here with this story about Biden’s physical infirmities? Are they sending out an SOS to the Democrat Party, perhaps to Gavin Newsom? In April, The Hill wrote that “it’s not if, but when” the California governor makes his move on the White House. And some Democrats are even looking to Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.

However, FiveThirtyEight doesn’t think that Joe Biden will be getting a challenger:

Barring Biden’s standing notably deteriorating in the next couple of months, then, he’s unlikely to face a serious challenger for renomination.

But I think Politico is channeling Princess Leia with this article, crying out to Democrat leadership: Help us, Obi-Wan Kenobi. You’re our only hope.

Featured image: manhhai/flickr/cropped//CC BY 2.0.