US President Joe Biden has been filmed awkwardly tripping up the stairs of Air Force One - but he managed to style it out with a solemn salute.
Taking the early couple of steps at speed Mr Biden trips about halfway up the stairs.
He manages to recover, then stumbles again and briefly goes down on one knee, video footage shows.
The president appeared to rub his left knee before getting back up, then finished the stairs at a much more sensible pace. He stopped at the top of the stairs, turned around and offered a crisp salute to the military.
White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters high winds at Joint Base Andrews near Washington may have been a factor.
“It’s very windy outside,” said Ms Jean-Pierre when asked about his stumbling. “He is doing 100 per cent fine.”
She did not say whether Mr Biden had been checked by a travelling physician after the episode.
Mr Biden was boarding a flight to Atlanta, where he was to speak to the Asian-American community about a shooting there this week,
It is the second scrape the US President has found himself in recently. In late November, Mr Biden suffered a hairline fracture in his right foot while playing with one of his dogs.
At 78, Mr Biden was the oldest person ever to assume the presidency when he entered the White House. He was branded ‘Sleepy Joe’ by his predecessor Donald Trump who criticised him for staying at home for much of the election campaign.
Mike Pence also made a similar trip on Air Force Two in June.
Pence had almost reached the top of the red carpeted air stairs when he suddenly stumbled and fell forward, using his hands to save himself.
He managed to pick himself up quickly and bounded up the remaining two steps, straightening his jacket and tie before offering a wave and giving a thumbs up gesture to onlookers just as he walked onto the plane.
Additional reporting by Reuters.
